The Continuing Ghost Hunt Adventures
by mmasavag
Summary: The cases begin again with the first one being at an inn whose ghosts attack couples. A new character is introduced with connections to Mai and the ghostly fun begins! Rated teen just to be on the safe side for ghost stories often have blood.
1. Princess Inn pt 1

**MM: Greetings! This is my first Ghost Hunt fanfic and I am following the anime for I have not read the manga unfortunately but one of these days I will get the series. Anyway! I hope you enjoy this fanfic and I only own my OC!**

FILE 9:

PRINCESS INN

My name is Mai Taniyama and August has finally rolled around and Naru has been out of the hospital for a few weeks after our last case, The Cursed House. I was organizing the mail for our office when I saw that there was a letter addressed to me. Curious, I opened up the envelope and pulled out the letter and immediately recognized the handwriting. I sat down to read it further.

 _Dear Mai,_

 _How have you been faring since the last time we wrote to each other? I'm back from my research trip in America and have been staying in a quaint inn up in the mountains to write my paper after my dig. However, there have been problems here of the ghostly sort._

 _I want to say that it's just a poltergeist, but there's more to it than that. Aside from furniture moving about and levitating, there have been messages written in blood on the walls and animals disappearing only to turn up dead. Also, couples staying at the inn have been attacked and bruises were left behind as well torn up sheets like something or someone is trying to get at them. One guest has claimed that they have seen a samurai hovering over them with katana at hand, giving her a look that she described as "silent fury"._

 _Mai, if you can convince Naru to take the case, I will personally pay him double the fee. Enclosed further more details and the name and location of the inn. I hope to see you soon!_

 _Your loving sister,_

 _Sakura_

I always called Sakura Onee-chan since we first met when my mom was still alive. She is always there for me when I need her, no matter where she may be around the world and sends me money to help with my expenses. Naru and the others do not know about Sakura yet, maybe it is now time to tell them. Just as luck would have it, Ayako come walking in followed by Bou-san, John, and Masako.

"Everyone!" I greeted.

"Mai, tea," Naru ordered from his office suddenly.

"Yes!"

Just then, a middle aged woman came into the office. She had a rather timid look about her and was looking at the other.

"How can we help you today, Ma'am?" I asked.

"Is this Shibuya Psychic Research?" She asked in a whisper.

"Yes. Are you having trouble with ghosts?"

The woman nodded.

"Come this way and sit down."

After a few minutes, we all were sitting around the coffee table looking at her while kept her gaze down. Naru spoke up after a minute or so of silence.

"What happened?"

"Well," the woman began as she fidgeted, "our inn is haunted by this evil ghost. It moves the furniture or levitates it, leaves messages on the walls, kills our animals, and has attacked our guests."

"Did anything specific happen to you?"

The woman wrung her hands and kept her gaze down.

"It's okay. You're safe here," I assured.

She looked up at me with the saddest eyes I have seen.

"I was in my room when it suddenly grew cold, very cold. Then everything started to levitate and books were thrown at me. I ran out of my room as fast as I could but before I could close the door, a picture of my husband and me flew right past me and into the wall. Then the picture went ablaze."

My mind kept going to Sakura's letter. That incident was in the details!

"Is it Roiyarum epuru Inn?" I inquired

Everyone looked at me in shock, especially the woman.

"Yes, it is. Could it be that Kohinata-sama has already spoken with you?" The woman asked.

"Yes she has. She has offered to pay double if we take on the case."

"Eh?!" Was the chorus from around the coffee table, even Naru was surprised but recovered quickly.

"We're interested in the case. As to the payment, we'll see Kohinata-sama at the inn."

The woman was crying tears of relief as she bowed and left. When I turned around after showing her out, I was met with dumbfounded looks and a glare from Naru.

"Mai?" Naru asked.

"I guess it's time I tell you," I said as I sat down where the woman used to be. "I know Sakura Kohinata, the author and archaeologist."

"You mean the Sakura Kohinata that is a best-selling author for her ghost stories among other things?" Masako asked.

"Yeah. She's like an older sister to me and she wrote me a letter and sent it here. I had just finished reading it before everyone came. She's staying at the inn as well and relayed the events to me through the letter. Sorry I couldn't tell you sooner."

"When did you meet her?" John asked.

"It was when Mom was still alive. She became a family friend and like a sister to me. She always sends me stuff and money to help with expenses since she travels a lot for her work. I get letters from her all the time and this is the first time that she's asked for help."

"You were going to convince Naru, no matter what, huh?" Ayako asked.

"I was going to try. Naru, this ghost attacks couples specifically."

"We leave tomorrow," Naru said and went into his office.

The next day, we arrived at Roiyarumepuru Inn and waiting for us there was a young woman with waist length brown hair and blue eyes wearing a white button down shirt and black jeans. As soon as Lin parked, I jumped out and raced over to her, embracing her in a gigantic hug.

"Saku-chan!"

"Mai. It's great to see you again. You have grown so much since I last saw you!" She replied in a calm, warm voice.

"Did anything happen last night, Saku-chan?"

"Just some light rapping sounds and the furniture moved in the dining room but other than that, it was quiet compared to other nights."

"You must be Kohinata-san," Ayako said as she came up.

"Yes, Ayako-san, but please, call me Sakura-san at least."

"Very well, Sakura-san."

"Nice to meet you, Sakura-san," John greeted.

"Sakura-san," Masako greeted.

"It is nice to meet you John-san and to see you again, Masako-san."

Naru and Lin walked up and stopped in front of Sakura. She looked at them thoughtfully and extended her hand to Naru.

"You must be Kazuya Shibuya-san. Mai has told me a lot about you. I thank you for watching over her."

Naru shook her hand than Lin shook her hand and they went inside.

"I'll help you set up the base, Mai. It'll be fun."

"If you want to, Saku-chan!"

We suddenly heard a scream coming from inside the Inn.

"That's Yuko," Sakura said as she took off with us following her.

We all came to a stop in the hallway where red messages covered the walls.

"They all say 'help' or something similar," Bou-san said.

Masako fell forward onto her knees and I knelt down beside her.

"So many, so much fear," Masako uttered.

We saw a maid standing there looking into a room along with Naru and Lin. We all went over and peered inside and stood in shock. The message was different than the others and sent shivers down my spine.

"Such a quick and dramatic response. This is also the first time seeing that message," Sakura stated.

" _She will be mine!"_

 **MM: Roiyarumepuru (Roy-ya-roo-may-poo-roo) actually means "Royal Maple". Google translate helped with that. You'll see why I called it that in the next chapter. See you soon!**


	2. Princess Inn pt 2

**M** **2** **: Greetings, everyone! I want to thank you all for your support and please enjoy chapter two!**

FILE 9 PT 2

THE PRINCESS INN

"'She will be mine.' This is already taking a dark turn," Bou said.

"Mai, get the equipment," Naru ordered as he surveyed the scene.

Lin noticed that Sakura was pale as she followed Mai down the hallway to gather the equipment and tailed them. When he was outside, he saw that they were talking and approached them, over hearing their conversation.

"Saku-chan, you sure you're okay?" Mai asked.

"I'll be fine."

"It reminded you of when your dad died, didn't it?"

"…It…it did but I'll be okay. I won't let my emotions control me again, Mai," Sakura said as she flashed a small smile.

"That's the Sakura I know! Let's get this equipment inside before Naru gets mad."

Lin came in closer and surprised Mai, who almost dropped a tote of cords.

"Lin-san, you startled me!"

"I came to gather equipment, just like you."

"Oh…yeah. Sorry."

Lin just glanced at Sakura before grabbing a monitor and headed inside. The girls followed suit and they soon began setting up the base for ghost hunting. After some time, Naru asked the group to set up mikes and cameras in various rooms in the inn and when they returned, he had an announcement to make. That announcement was that they would split into couples.

"What?" Many of the group said in shock, Sakura was able to keep calm however.

"We split into couples. Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san, Hara-san and John, and Mai and myself," Naru repeated.

"Wait! You can't be serious!" Ayako exclaimed.

"Kohinata-san," Naru continued.

"Yes?" Sakura replied.

"Would you pair up with Lin for short time to catch this ghost?"

Lin jumped up from his seat and faced Naru.

"Then who will protect you?" He demanded.

"You can go home if you like," Naru countered.

Sakura saw the Lin tensed up at the very thought of this and spoke up.

"I don't mind and I'll be happy to help…Naru-chan."

The group gasped as Naru glared at her.

"I know I play dirty sometimes but you shouldn't have given Lin-san such an ultimatum."

"Just don't call me that again."

"As long as you don't make Lin-san choose between his duties or have him watch from the outside."

"…Deal," Naru said as he shook hands with Sakura.

"Now, the inn got its name from the sacred maple out in the central courtyard. Also, royalty lived here a long time ago aside from five other families including this one but the recorded haunting activities didn't start until the third family, the Hiroshis, moved in during the late eighteen hundreds. There may have been earlier accounts but there was shed that caught fire soon after the Hiroshis moved in and the shed contained many but not all records of the previous families."

"You have done some research already?"

"Yes and I can do more research for you while Yasuhara-san does research from the outside."

"…Mai, tea."

"Yes, Naru," Mai responded and headed off for the kitchen.

Sakura sidled up and sat next to Lin and helping him with various tasks while the others roamed about the inn collecting data a doing exorcisms. Sakura went to her own room sometime later and began filtering through various papers to gather data on the inn and its history. She did not notice the time that passed until she heard a knock on her door and she glanced at the clock, which was reading 8:32 pm.

"Enter."

Lin opened the door and was holding a plate of food as he entered and closed the door.

"Thank you, Lin-san. When I work, sometimes I get so engrossed that I forget to eat."

Lin took a moment to survey the room and saw gigantic stacks of paper about two feet (0.6m) high scattered all about the room and a mat in the middle of the room where she slept.

"It may look like a mess but it actually is very organized. I sometimes prefer to use paper over my laptop and this is one of those cases. Most of it is the historical records for the inn actually," Sakura said before continuing to eat.

"Have you found anything else out?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. This happened only once but it occurred in the spring during a full moon. Apparently, apparitions were seen. Two of them were a couple and one was a samurai. The samurai snuck up on the couple while they were asleep and killed them with his sword. I wonder if that will occur now."

"Because it's the summer?"

"Yes."

Just then, Mai burst in and she had tears running down her face as she lunged forward and sobbed into Sakura's shoulder.

"Mai, what's wrong?" Sakura asked in a calm voice as she held the sobbing girl.

"I had a horrible dream!"

Lin and Sakura were on the alert as then glanced at each other and then refocused on Mai.

"What did you see?"

"Well…" Mai began suddenly blushing.

"In it, you and Naru were in a relationship?"

Mai nodded.

"Please, tell us more."

"It was our wedding day and I was dressed in really old clothing as well as Naru. We went to bed then I heard some rustling and when I looked up, I saw Bou-san standing there with a sword. He said 'you will be mine' then I…I felt the cold steel on my neck!" Mai wailed and buried her head in Sakura's shoulder again.

"Shh, don't cry, Mai. It won't hurt you. The blade isn't here," Sakura cooed while stroking Mai's hair, all the while, looking at Lin with serious dread.

The windows suddenly flew open and a mini whirlwind appeared, scattering all the papers and violently tossing them about. Lin covered Mai and Sakura from potential harm until the wind finally died down. Papers were floating down when Lin uncovered the girls and Sakura was able to see.

"Looks like we're on the right track. Whoever this ghost is made a real mess," Sakura said grimly.

Rapping suddenly came from the walls and it was so intense and loud that Mai had to cover her ears as Sakura held her close to protect her from harm.

"Lin, we have to find out who the very first family was. They hold the answers to all of this."

Lin looked at Sakura with a puzzled look and saw something strange in her eyes. He could not think of what it was but he knew that he had better listen to her or else they were doomed.


	3. Princess Inn pt 3

**M** **2** **: I want to thank everyone who's been reading this story and following along. I have at least 98 visitors and 159 views! Enjoy chapter 3!**

FILE 9 PT 3

THE PRINCESS INN

Mai finally calmed down enough to return to base after helping Sakura and Lin pick up the mess of papers and Sakura continued to search through them for answers. Lin returned shortly after her and relayed the events that happened to Naru.

"We all heard the rapping sounds throughout the house," Bou said.

"They must be site bound spirits," Ayako added.

"The spirits are very restless, crying out in agony," Masako stated as she raised her hands to her lips, shielding herself.

"Kohinata-san?" Naru asked.

"She's still pouring over the family records," Lin answered.

"Is that so? Let her keep up her work. Just keep an eye on her."

Lin stared at the monitors until it was past midnight. Seeing nothing, he sighed and decided to check on Sakura in her paper-choked room. On his way there, however, he noticed a little white orb just floating there in the middle of the hallway. It noticed his presence and it moved down the hall, as if it was guiding him. He followed it until it stopped in front of Sakura's room and then it passed through the door. He quickly opened the door to find it gone and Sakura laying on the table fast asleep. He could see that she was breathing and gently lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the base so he could watch her. He set her on the couch and went back to work not noticing that her sleep was becoming more fretful later on.

 _Sakura knew she was in the house but everything around her did not seem right. The atmosphere was full of joviality. She could hear people talking and laughing as well as singing so she left her room out curiosity. She walked in the hallway only to find a person walk right through her!_

 _"It seems that I'm dreaming about the past. The spirits are talking to me so I should listen."_

 _She followed the person that went through her to another room. There, she met a young woman with long brown hair and brilliant chocolate eyes just staring at her as she was being dressed in a mint green kimono with light blue snowflakes on it. It was only when this woman was alone did Sakura enter._

 _"Is it you that has summoned me?"_

 _"Yes," the woman responded in a solemn voice._

 _Sakura sat down in front of her and spoke to her softly._

 _"What is your name, young one?"_

 _"My name is Fuji Yukinase."_

 _"And why do you show me this joyous day, Yukinase-san?"_

 _"It is also the day that we die. We have been living this day over and over again for centuries and my greatest wish is for this to stop. To end all the suffering."_

 _"What day is today?"_

 _"My wedding day. I shall be marrying Aki Yamamoto and he will be part of our family of nobility."_

 _"Are you certain you want me to see your entire day?"_

 _"Please. You are my honored guest."_

 _"Did you show my friend the vision she had or was that someone else?"_

 _"It was me. I did not mean to horrify her I just wanted to show her everything so we can be found and put at peace."_

 _"I see. She has yet to fully discover her skills…I hear someone approaching."_

 _"So it begins."_

 _Sakura moved aside just as a samurai stormed in and he immediately focused on Yukinase. He knelt down on one knee and grabbed her hand and pulled her to him._

 _"Fuji, please! Call off this marriage and be my wife!" The black haired man exclaimed._

 _Yukinase removed her hand from his grasp and regained her seat, straightening her kimono and gaining composure._

 _"Yasumura-san…I would not be a good wife for you for I do not love you. I love the man I'm going to marry today. I'm sorry."_

 _Yasumura sighed and was downcast as he left to room, him knowing he could not convince her otherwise. Sakura could not help but feel for the samurai, having found something other than honor to cherish. She desired to find out more._

 _"Yukinase-san, how do you know him?"_

 _"He serves the family and he is like a brother to me. I…it wouldn't feel right to marry him. I don't love him like that."_

 _"I understand. Have you told him this?"_

 _"Yes. This is just exasperating. I never thought that he would be the one…"_

 _"So he is the one that kills you. What are your thoughts as to the cause?"_

 _"I saw this crazed look in his eyes. Maybe he's possessed."_

 _"I will keep an eye on him then. His actions would reveal the truth as to where you may be now."_

 _"Thank you, Kohinata-san," Yukinase said as she bowed down._

 _Sakura then left the room to tail the distraught samurai. She found him in the garden in the back and he was heading towards the back gate with a determined stride. She followed him out of the gate to a small shrine where he began to pray. As he was praying, a dark purplish light emerged from the shrine and enveloped him, seeping into his skin. Sakura knew she was powerless to do anything at that time and had to watch as Yasamura seemed to be in agony before his distorted face regained a calm pose. By now, the sky was growing dark and Yasamura's aura had taken an evil tone as it permeated the air. The samurai then rose from his position and walked back towards the inn._

 _Sakura had the foreboding sense that now was when something bad was about to take place so she followed only to find Yasamura beheading people as they slept. He then approached the new couple in their room and stood there for a moment before killing them, stabbing Yukinase in the heart while beheading her husband. Yasamura regained his senses and was is distress over what he had done and collapsed to his knees. He sensed the darkness within him then and took action. He gathered all the bodies and laid them out in the basement and built a stone wall, sealing himself and the bodies inside. He then wrote a charm in his own blood form a cut on his finger before sitting against a wall._

 _"Now you can harm no one else," Yasamura said then plunged his sword into himself._

Sakura woke up and saw Lin watching the monitors. She sat up and tried to call his name but found she could not. She stood up and the sofa creaked, gaining Lin's attention. Seeing how pale she was, he immediately got up and walked over to her.

"Kohinata-san?"

Sakura grabbed his shirt and placed her forehead on his chest, remaining silent. Lin was uncertain as of what to do when she spoke up in a voice hardly louder than a whisper.

"Go to the basement. There's a stone wall leading to another room. The bodies of the Yukinase family are there as well as an evil spirit. Don't let Mai go in there, Lin-san."

Sakura began to sink to the floor when Lin grabbed her and held her close, placing her back on the sofa. He observed how pale she was and that she seemed to be in pain. He brushed her hair away from her face and left a lone shiki with her to protect her as he went to wake the others to tell them what had happened.

"So that's what she said, eh?" Bou said.

"Yes."

"We're going to the basement," Naru said.

"Is Saku-chan alright?" Mai asked.

"For now."

Everyone of SPR went down to the basement and saw that that there were four stone walls. Ayako was drawn to one and set her hand on it.

"This one has the seal."

"How do you know?" John asked.

"I feel its power."

"Break it down," Naru ordered.

"No! It's designed to contain."

"Contain what?"

"A demon."


	4. Princess Inn pt 4

**M** **2** **: Hi everybody! I hope you had a happy and safe Halloween. I actually wanted to have this posted on Halloween but I had some great ideas for short stories as Christmas gifts for my family and they wouldn't wait. Enjoy the last part of The Princess Inn!**

FILE 9 PT 4

THE PRINCESS INN

"A demon?" Mai questioned.

Naru was in deep thought as the conversation went on. He was forming a plan.

"John?" Naru asked.

"I can perform the exorcism," John replied.

"Mai, go upstairs. We're breaking this wall down."

Mai was going to protest this order but she remembered that it was originally Sakura that requested this so she returned to base where Sakura was sleeping. Mai watched the monitors showing the basement and everyone working. Ayako was placing charms on the other walls and on the door leading upstairs while John and Bou were setting up for the exorcism.

"The spirits are growing restless," Masako said.

They punched a hole through the wall and Mai saw a dozen or so purplish entities escape through the hole and race about the room trying to escape. John was praying and Bou was chanting, causing the entities to turn white and disappear, ascending to heaven. Mai then saw a black fog creeping through the hole. Its approach was slow but it was heading towards Masako.

"Guys! It's going after Masako!" Mai shouted through the microphone.

They did not hear her and she raced out of the base and down the stairs to the basement. Barreling through the door, she pushed Masako out of the way.

"Mai!" The others cried out.

The fog took a human-like shape and it was turning opaque, much darker than the night sky or the ocean depths. Mai could feel the evil coming off of it and she squinted her eyes shut, expecting the worst. Mai wondered why nothing happened after a minute and she opened her eyes to see Sakura standing before her with a silver-white aura about her. Sakura had a hold of the demon, preventing it from moving.

"John, pray in Latin!" Sakura ordered.

John began speaking, this time, in a language she could not understand. The black fog squirmed under Sakura's grasp but she held on tightly, refusing to let go. It let out a deafening wail of pain as John continued with his prayer. The demon turned red then white before disappearing in a wisp of smoke.

"Is it gone?" Mai asked.

"Yes, Mai," Sakura responded then collapsed to the ground.

"Saku-chan!" Mai screamed and crouched down next to her.

"I'm okay. Just a little dizzy. It shall pass soon."

Lin strode over and picked her up, bridal-style, causing Sakura to blush and begin protesting such treatment. Lin ignored her and simply took her up the stairs as Mai laughed. As the others filed out, the spirit of Fuji Yukinase appeared before Mai and gave a serene smile before drifting away. Mai smiled back and walked up the stairs and found the others at the base and told them what she saw.

"She is thanking us for freeing them so they can rest," Sakura said as she sipped her water.

Naru took some notes in his journal while the others were gathered around her, surprised and commenting about her abilities.

"It's nothing, really. Just my way of helping the spirits, that's all," Sakura revealed.

"But we've never seen anything like that before!' Ayako said.

"It's trickier than it looks. A lot trickier."


	5. The Entrancing Temple pt 1

M2: Hi everyone! Sorry about the late posting but I was working on the holiday preparations. Please enjoy this new case!

FILE TEN

THE ENTRANCING TEMPLE PT 1

 _Sakura watched as Mai walked down a hallway with no windows or any doors. Only she could see the walls were covered with a purplish tinge that glowed like a bioluminescent fungi. Mai was blissfully unaware of the glow and had a clipboard in her hand, taking notes as she went. Sakura then saw a foxlike shadow at the end of the hall with a white will-o-wisp floating in front of it. She tried to warn Mai about the fox but could not make her voice utter a sound and when she tried to grab Mai, she went right through the girl's arm._

 _Mai looked up from her work and saw the will-o-wisp. The soft, serene glow started to change colors and Mai soon became entranced and dropped the clipboard, walking towards the light. The fox bared its fangs as soon as Mai was near and lunged at her, feeding upon a white light as Mai collapsed to the ground. Sakura ran to Mai and could see her skin was ashen in color and she was not breathing. Looking at the fox, Sakura watched it swallow hard and give a toothy grin before running away, leaving the world to fade to black._

Sakura awoke to her dark room as she shot up in bed, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. The clock next to her read 3:33 in the morning. She knew the significance of 333 and its links to the holy trinity of Christianity and that her dream was not to be taken lightly. She switched on her light and crawled out of bed, knowing that she would not be able to sleep anymore for the night and went over to her computer to turn it on. There, she worked on her book for several hours until her phone rang suddenly. She answered her phone as she continued to type away.

"Kohinata speaking."

"Saku-chan. I hate to disturb you first thing in the morning, but would come down to SPR right away?" Mai asked, causing Sakura to stop typing.

"Mai? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing! Naru wants to see you though."

"About my abilities I suppose."

"I think so. He really didn't say."

"I can be there by ten," Sakura replied as she glanced at her clock on the computer.

"Okay. I have some tea ready for you!"

"Thanks, Mai."

Sakura hung up the phone and quickly got ready to leave her condo, wearing black jeans and boots with a maroon shirt that had serenity written on it in kanji form. She packed her bag with her computer and other things before leaving and taking the train to Shibuya and walking to SPR headquarters where she was immediately hugged by Mai.

"Thanks for coming so fast!" Mai exclaimed.

"No problem, Mai," Sakura responded as she surveyed the scene before her.

The others of Mai's little family were sitting on the couches before her and Naru was sitting in the chair facing her. His eyes said that he had a goal in mind and that he was determined to achieve it. Sakura sat across from him in the other chair and Mai placed a tea cup filled to the brim in front of each of them before taking a seat of her own.

"So, Naru. You wish to discuss my abilities?" Sakura began.

"Yes."

"Well, if you want me to reveal one of my secrets, I'll have to reveal one of yours," Sakura replied before sipping her tea.

"What kind of secret?" Naru asked, challenging her.

"You really want me to tell?"

"Yes."

"Very well," Sakura said as she put her cup down and looked Naru squarely in the eye. "Kazuya Shibuya is actually an alias for one Doctor Oliver Davis, paranormal researcher."

Everyone in the room froze in shock, even Naru with his eyes wide open. He quickly recovered and set his tea down while Sakura picked hers up.

"Clever."

"I only wanted to make sure Mai was with a good employer. I can trust a fellow researcher."

Lin looked at her quizzically as well as Naru. The only one not surprised at her statement was Mai and she spoke up.

"Saku-chan uses an alias too. Doctor Sakura O'Neil is really her name and title."

"I actually am an Archaeologist."

Everyone but Mai and Sakura were agape as the shock wormed its way into their brains and settled in. Bou was the first to speak up.

"You…her…you're the groundbreaking scientist?!"

"Yes, Bou-san and that's archaeologist." Sakura repeated as she sipped her tea.

Just then, a girl in a navy blue school uniform came in. Her suit jacket was neatly pressed as well as her skirt and she looked quite timid. She glanced around at the group and opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Mai immediately jumped up and greeted the girl.

"Hello! Welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research! How can we help you?"

"Are…are you ghost hunters?" The girl asked.

"Yes. Please, have a seat."

The girl cautiously obeyed and sat next to Ayako and Masako. She fidgeted and twirled her thumbs while looking down. Naru just sat there with his cold glare and sipped his tea. Then the girl finally had the nerve to speak up.

"There's this temple next to my school and students who visit the place usually end up acting weird or just drop dead. The doctors or police can't find any reason for it to happen but they just happen."

"Go on," Mai encouraged. "What specifically happens?"

"Well, one student who visited the temple suddenly stopped talking to us during our free period outside. Her eyes glazed over and she wouldn't respond to us when we tried to get her attention. She got up and started to walk away slowly like she was being drawn towards something when she dropped to the ground. We ran over to her and she wasn't breathing. We got help but she was pronounced dead right there. Another student started eating paper and shredding it before howling and running off. He visited the temple too."

The girl went on and on about more strange stories and the group listened with interest. The girl went on to say that she was the daughter of the temple owner and they would appreciate any help that they can give. Naru said that they would be there on Saturday and the girl gave him a great big hug in relief that she was getting help before leaving. Naru was still shaking the surprise off as Mai closed the door.

"Mind if I tag along?" Sakura asked. "Sounds like good reading material."

Naru sipped his tea before setting the cup down and looking at her.

"Your talents may become necessary."

"Thank you, Naru."

Lin typed in his laptop as Mai hugged Sakura and began chatting excitedly about working with her again. Even Masako seemed keen on the idea.

Sakura went home and she worked on her story and every night as she went to bed, she was awakened at 3:33 every early morning by the same dream every morning until Saturday arrived. Normally, any person would be exhausted by the lack of sleep but Sakura was fine, even chipper to a degree, as she headed over to SPR to catch a ride over to the temple. She was early and started to do

some research on the Mizu no Kitsune Temple (Water Fox Temple) and found the temple is connected to the ocean by a river running through the temple grounds. The temple was established during the Heian Period, around ninth century A.D.

"It has lasted this long? Amazing!" Sakura said out loud to herself and continued on with her search.

She read that the temple was extremely popular and very fortunate in the height of its existence but even then, there were few strange occurrences of people acting strange and some people even dying since the late Heian Period. They were rather infrequent however than they were recently. In the past two years, there had been twelve deaths that visited the shrine before their deaths and many occurrences of odd behavior. Articles started calling the place cursed and the popularity dropped drastically that only a few have dared to visit the temple.

"Saku-chan!" Mai called.

"Morning, Mai. Did you sleep well?" Sakura asked as she closed her laptop.

"What are you doing?"

"Research on Mizu no Kitsune."

"What did you find?" Naru asked out of nowhere, startling Mai.

"There have been deaths attributed to the temple in the late Heian Period but the latest are also the most in such a short time in its history."

"How short?"

"Two years. Must leave some of the work for Yasu-san or he might feel left out."

"Sakura-sama!" A male voice cried out.

"That's Yasu," Mai said.

"A fan…terrific."

Yasu ran up the stairs and bent over trying to catch his breath. Once he did, he looked up at Sakura with a quixotical (foolishly idealistic) look in his eyes.

"Sakura-sama! What an honor to meet you!"

"It is nice to meet you, Osamu Yasu. Mai has told me a great deal about you."

Yasu berated Sakura with praises galore while Naru, Lin, and Mai loaded up the van. Once it was time to go, Yasu handed a folder to Sakura and took off like he met heaven itself. Sakura climbed into the van and the group headed towards Hiratocho, where the mystery awaited.


	6. The Entrancing Temple pt 2

M2: I'm glad that everyone is enjoying my fanfiction. So many views! Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!

FILE TEN

THE ENTRANCING TEMPLE PT 2

Lin could not help but glance at the woman sitting next to him every now and again during their drive to Hiratocho. Sakura was typing away on her detached keyboard while she somehow managed to stick her small monitor on the dash. Mai was laying her head on her shoulder, catching some sleep while she was doing this with hardly any effort and being careful not to move. One of his shiki left his side and hovered over her other shoulder as she typed away, seemingly unfazed by the action. He was amazed at how fast her delicate fingers were flying across the keys and was starting to like the intense, mesmerizing focus she possessed as she worked.

 _"Wait…What am I thinking?"_ Lin thought as he mentally shook himself and focused on driving again.

After a while, he dared to peek again and saw that she was still typing away on the keyboard and Mai was still asleep but to his surprise so was Naru! He looked back at the road and when he glanced at her again, she was looking at him.

"Your shiki are quite the curious ones, aren't they?" She asked.

"They can be," He replied, shocked that she knew about them.

"Surprised that I knew about the Shiki?"

"Yes."

"You can consider me an onmyouji of sorts. I also happen to possess shiki as well."

He was impressed. To have another onmyouji on the team would be beneficial and less taxing for him. On the plus side, she was beautiful.

 _"What is wrong with me?"_

"Who taught you?" He asked after a minute.

"That's a secret."

Lin was puzzled as to why it was being kept a secret but she moved on to discussing the case and he let the topic drop. Before they knew it, they were in Hiratocho and pulling up to the temple. Naru and Mai had woken up at that point and Mai was astonished by the breathtaking scenery.

"How peaceful!" She exclaimed.

"There are many spirits here," Masako stated.

Naru went on ahead as the rest began to unload the van and Sakura was lifting the heavy stuff with such ease that they were beginning to wonder how strong she actually was. They were setting up in the base when the girl that first came to them appeared.

"I'm sorry that my grandfather couldn't see you today. He's not feeling very well."

"If you prefer, I can take a look at him to see about his condition," Sakura offered

"I didn't know you were a medical doctor, Kohinata-sama."

"I'm not but I did have some medical training."

"Please, come this way."

The girl led them down the very hall that Sakura saw in her dream and down another hall that led to the master bedroom. A man with graying hair was laying on a mat with a blanket over him and he was shivering underneath it. Sakura knelt down next to the man and cautiously removed the blanket down to his waist. She could feel the difference immediately on how cold he was but she could also feel an absence of something.

"Lin. Please check his chi for me."

Lin knelt down next to her and closed his eyes for a minute before looking at her.

"His chi is extremely low."

"That's what I thought."

Sakura rummaged through her bag as the others talked, mostly in shock from the news. She found what she was looking for and pulled out an amulet with a yin-yang symbol on it made from onyx and moonstone and had gemstones representing the five elements around a silver border. She placed the amulet around his neck and stood up after replacing the blanket, shortly followed by Lin. She corralled the others back to the base where she answered their questions.

"I placed an amulet around his neck that would restore his chi and restore the balance of the elements within him. He should be fine in the morning with some rest."

"I bet it's a site-bound spirit," Ayako proclaimed.

"You always say that," Bou said.

"I'll take care of it. You'll see."

"The only time you were extremely useful was the cursed house case, Ayako."

Bou and Ayako continued squabbling between each other and the others ignored them, listening to the details of the events that happened at the temple from the granddaughter. Sakura could see the worry written all over the girl's face and she put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. The girl gave a wan smile in return and excused herself to attend to family affairs. By this time, Bou and Ayako stopped their bickering and helped the team set up cameras and microphones and Sakura was in the middle of testing her equipment when she felt a chill. She looked up at Mai in the room across from her and saw that she was feeling the temperature decrease as well for the girl was standing straight and looking around. Sakura backed away from the camera and stood in the center of the room, closed her eyes, and waited. When she felt a cold breeze by her left, she opened her eyes and spun around to see a will-o-wisp in the corner floating there. It was a translucent white and flickering but it never moved from its position.

"Spying on us already, I see," She said.

The light flickered in response.

"Mai?" Sakura called.

"Yes?"

"Do you see a will-o-wisp in the corner of your room?"

"Yes!"

"So, fox, what is your role here?" Sakura asked the will-o-wisp.

The will-o-wisp grew brighter and larger in size before taking the shape of a fox head with beady purple eyes. Mai appeared in the doorway and watched in horror as the head lunged at Sakura before disappearing just before it hit her.

"Saku-chan! Are you okay?"

"Yes. It was trying to scare me, that's all."

"One thing about you is that you don't scare easily."

"It just found that out. Let's get back to the base."

"Yeah."

They found the others there talking animatedly about their experiences and John went up to them and asked the two if they had anything happen to them.

"We had will-o-wisps in the rooms we were in and then Sakura was dealing with a fox head charging at her when I was able to break to her room."

"What? Really?" Ayako asked.

"The camera might have picked it up," Sakura responded.

Lin played back the footage with the volume up and they all watched the event taking place. Bou let out a small whistle after the tape stopped.

"You're certainly not the skittish type, are you?"

"No, Bou-san. I'm certainly not."

Just then, the doors slammed shut all throughout the temple and there was a whooshing sound. Sakura found it hard to breathe and saw the others were struggling to breathe as well, coughing as their lungs became deprived of much-needed oxygen. Sakura pulled some chalk out of her pocket and frantically drew a pentagram and then placed crystals in the shape of a star. She chanted quickly and the doors and windows flew open, bringing in fresh air before the crystals disappeared and the chalk was blown away by a breeze. Everyone was catching their breath as she sank down by the open window. She watched the koi pond ripple gently in the soft breeze outside as well as watch the flowers in the garden wave hello to her. Lin came over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine. Tend to the others."

Lin did so and everyone was okay after a few minutes. Mai watched as Sakura continued to look out the window and occasionally brought her a cup of tea which she hardly drank in return. Mai noted that Sakura finally left the window at dusk and closed the screen. At that time, Ayako was ready to perform her ritual. Ayako had decided to set up at the shrine and Sakura attended with the others aside from Lin, who was watching the monitor.

Ayako began chanting and during the chanting, Masako covered her mouth with her sleeve and Sakura saw something lurking in the shadows. It was low to the ground and circling. Almost immediately, Sakura had a sinking feeling, as if she was drowning in the ocean depths. She removed a charm she had around her neck and placed it around Mai's neck silently and focused on the shadows. Just as Ayako was about to finish chanting, a black, shadowy fox leaped out and charged towards her with glinting purple eyes. Its two tails trailed behind it as Sakura rushed forward and quickly cast a low-level barrier to block the fox. The fox instantly grew larger and grew four more tails and Sakura braced herself for impact, knowing that was going to be bad. The fox crashed through the barrier and ran right through her before running off into the night.

Sakura sank to the ground, vision blurred and dizzy. Her world was quickly fading to black. She summoned her strongest shiki and ordered him to protect Mai through their bond before she fell flat to the ground. She felt cold, despite it being hot out, something she never did want to feel again but did on this night. Her vision cleared for a moment to see Mai leaning over her crying.

"Saku-chan!"


	7. The Entrancing Temple pt 3

M2: Boy have I been on fire with this file! It keeps playing in my head like an episode so I hope this stream of ideas keeps flowing to keep everyone entertained. Enjoy!

FILE TEN

THE ENTRANCING TEMPLE PT 3

Mai was sitting inside the base, crying her heart out as John comforted her and tried to reassure her that Sakura would be alright while Ayako and Masako tended to the unconscious woman. Lin was watching the monitors but he had a grim expression as well as Naru. They both knew this fox was going to be big trouble. Naru kept glancing at Mai then back at the monitors for any clue as to where it went. The granddaughter brought some tea and sat next to Mai, attempting to soothe her as well. After a while, Ayako and Masako entered the base and closed the door before speaking up.

"She's resting comfortably. We think she'll be awake sometime tomorrow," Ayako said.

Mai started crying again and Masako went over to her and knelt down.

"She'll be fine, really."

"It's my fault! She wants to protect me and she's getting hurt because of it!" Mai wailed.

"Mai. She doesn't concern herself with that. She's been smiling more because she's with you."

"Masako…"

"I've seen her at the station before and her smile was never as heartfelt as it is now."

Lin listened in awe at her words. So that was Sakura's real smile? He would like to see that directed at him sometime. Just as he was about to react to that thought, he noticed a white orb on top of Mai's head, as if patting her. He realized it was a shiki and assumed it was Sakura's. The shiki turned invisible again and Naru handed Mai a cup of tea before patting her on the head.

"Get some sleep," he said.

"Naru, I…"

"Find the fox."

Mai nodded and drank her tea before leaving the base. She started down the hallway with no exit when she began to feel light-headed. She saw a floating orb glowing softly with different colors and she walked towards it. A sudden icy jolt pulled her out of the trance and she saw the black fox behind the orb and she screamed as it lunged at her. A white orb flew past her and formed into a shape of a boy around her age and he made some symbols with his hands that made the fox bound away and the walls to reveal a purplish glow and the boy held his finger to his lips before he transformed into a little ball of light again. She heard footsteps and the others were right beside her in an instant.

"Mai! What happened?" Exclaimed Bou. "What's this purple stuff?"

"The fox tried to attack me and a shiki protected me."

"A shiki?" Ayako questioned and looked at Lin.

"Sakura's an onmyouji as well," Lin responded shocking everyone.

"Wait…there are two onmyoujis now?" John asked.

Lin nodded and noticed a charm around Mai's neck. Mai noticed this action and clasped it in her hands.

"Saku-chan gave it to me before she charged in."

After some reassurances, Mai went to her room and shortly fell asleep, hugging her pillow tight. She could feel herself being pulled into one of her visions and she let the feeling wash over her.

 _The nice Naru was waiting at the steps to the shrine just before a tori gate and pointed towards the gate, beckoning her to walk through it. She did so and looked behind her to find that Naru disappeared so she continued walking towards the shrine and went inside to find a woman with brown, waist length hair and a black and white kimono standing there with her back to her. The pattern of twinkling stars on the kimono were actually twinkling and glowing softly. The presence felt safe and warm to her, very familiar and decided to call out to her._

 _"Saku-chan?"_

 _The woman spun around and it was indeed Sakura and her warm, soft smile. A small braid framed each side of her face._

 _"Hello, Mai. I have been expecting you since I lost consciousness."_

 _Mai ran up and hugged her tightly and sobbed. Sakura calmly caressed her head and said soothing words until Mai calmed down and was able to look at her again._

 _"Are you okay, Saku-chan?"_

 _"I'll be up by tomorrow night, so please, don't worry about me. I have an important task for you."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Take a look down there, Mai."_

 _Mai looked and gasped. A beautiful white fox was trapped at the bottom of the well and had a chain around its neck. It continued to pull at the chain and bite at it to no avail. It looked up at the two and gave a pleading look. Mai pulled away followed by Sakura._

 _"How do I free it?"_

 _"You have to find the bound statue it is in and break the enchantment."_

 _"How?"_

 _Just then they heard a howl in the night. It sent shivers down Mai's spine._

 _"Listen, Mai. The yang was captured by the trickery of the yin and now the yin is growing out of control. Balance must be brought back to the temple."_

 _"Saku-chan! How do I break the enchantment?" Mai pleaded as she felt herself being pulled away._

 _Sakura smiled that knowing smile that would sometimes drive her crazy as she faded away and Mai felt herself waking up._

Mai sat up in bed and let a few stray tears loose from her eyes, frustrated that she could not stay with Sakura longer. She exited her room and saw that it was morning. She decided to greet the dawn and went out to the garden. Out there, Sakura's shiki took his human form again and sat down next to her, startling her.

"You…!"

The shiki winced and put his finger to his lips again, telling her to quiet down.

"How come you have a human form?"

She watched as the shiki sat in deep thought for a minute and she thought that he looked a lot like Sakura, so much so that they could be brother and sister. The shiki then looked up and tapped her forehead. An image suddenly flashed before Mai as Sakura and the shiki, then very much alive, sat next to each other by a campfire talking and laughing.

"You used to be a live person?"

The shiki nodded.

"Is Saku-chan your sister?"

The shiki nodded again.

"How did you die?"

The shiki shook his head and patted her head and it felt like leaves softly hitting her.

"You won't tell me?"

The shiki shook his again and smiled before fading away just as the sun crested over the horizon. Mai watched the sun rise then went back inside to make tea for everyone and met them in the base. Naru returned to his usual cold self and Lin was watching the monitors for anything that happened during the night while the others were drinking a refreshing cup of tea. Lin suddenly stood up, staring at the monitor in shock and every crowded around him to see. Right, there in the shrine were the forms of Mai and Sakura standing there before the well! They all looked at her as she sank into a chair.

"Astral projection again?" Mai asked.

"You keep getting better and better every day!" Bou exclaimed and hugged her.

"Mind telling us what happened?" Naru demanded.

"We have to find a statue of a fox with a charm on it. The light fox was imprisoned instead of the dark fox and the dark fox is the one causing all of the trouble. That's what Saku-chan said," Mai answered.

"Any other clues?" John asked.

"She said the balance must be restored to the temple."

"I know a chant for that. It's similar to what I chanted earlier," Ayako interjected.

"Maybe that's why the fox attacked you. It couldn't recognize that you were saying the incorrect chant," Masako concluded.

Ayako mumbled something and sat down next to Mai and placed around her.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Sakura, Mai. I really am."

"I know, Ayako. She told me that she'll wake up later today but she still got hurt."

"You should have more faith in her," John said as he sat on the other side of her.

"John?"

"Sakura has been on all sorts of adventures, hasn't she? She has always returned from them with a smile on her face whenever she saw you, right? Sakura-san is a strong person who is willing to protect her friends and family at any cost to herself but she also knows that she is important to them as well and will always return to them. Understand, Mai?"

Mai nodded and hugged John and he hugged her back. Naru coughed slightly to get their attention. Mai wiped some tears from her eyes and smiled.

"I know. Get to work."

The team spent the day looking for the crucial statue amongst hundreds of statues and hiding places and even the granddaughter and her family helped but they were not having any luck finding the statue. The only place they did not tear apart was the shrine. They decided to take a break before searching and were having dinner when Lin went to Sakura's room. Her hair was in a braid and was sleeping peacefully when he opened the door. He sat down next to her and straightened her blanket before closing his eyes.

 _"What am I doing here?"_

He heard a soft moan and he opened his eyes to see Sakura stirring in her sleep. She opened her eyes and he released the breath he was holding. She rubbed her eyes before looking at him and she put on a confused face.

"Lin-san?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than when I collapsed," Sakura said as she sat up.

Her supporting arm gave way and she began to fall again when Lin caught her and pulled her close to him. Their faces were almost touching blue eyes meshing with gray as they stared at each other and focused only on each other. Both were blushing when Mai saw them.

"Lin-san? Saku-chan?"

"Mai," Sakura said breathlessly as she broke the contact between them.

"Are you okay? Should you be up? Do you want me to get you anything?" Mai rapidly asked, flustered by the situation she walked in on just as much as the two adult were.

"I'm okay now. I almost fell back down to the floor when Lin-san caught me and a cup of tea would be nice."

"O-okay! I'll go get some!" Mai exclaimed and left the room.

"Have you searched the shrine?" Sakura asked.

"Not yet," Lin answered, looking away.

"Check the well. I think the statue might be buried in there and I know Mai won't go near it."

"Since when can you do astral projection?"

"Since I was a young child. I could do many things as a child."

"Your parents must have been spiritually gifted as well."

"I suppose so."

Lin was about to ask what she meant by that when Mai came back in with a tray for tea and some onigiri on a plate.

"Satsuki-san, the granddaughter, made these for us and is glad you're awake."

"I'm just she wasn't hurt by all of this. She is spiritually strong as well."

Lin got up and left the two alone to talk and catch up as he relayed the latest information he received about the case to Naru. Mai came back a short time later and said she was ready to check the shrine and Bou volunteered to check the well for the statue and found it in a box buried at the bottom. Ayako said that the best time for this particular ritual would be tomorrow night by the light of the full moon. Mai ran back with the statue to show Sakura with a huge grin on her face.

"We found it, Saku-chan!"

"Good. Now, do you remember the game we played when we were younger?"

"The one with the crystals?"

"Yes. Tomorrow night, you will see the true meaning behind the game."

"True meaning?"

"Yes. It is more than a game, Mai."


	8. The Entrancing Temple pt 4

M2: Sorry that I slacked for a bit. You know how life can go. I'm grateful for more followers and I hope you all enjoy the last part to The Entrancing Temple!

FILE 10 PT 4

THE ENTRANCING TEMPLE

Sakura borrowed Mai the next day, having her complete various tasks in her stead, leaving Naru rather annoyed and he showed it through an even greater obsession with tea and ordering everyone around. Masako made tea but it was horrible as compared to Mai's. Bou was the only one who dared to complain, successfully getting a rise out of Masako, while the others found more discreet methods of disposal. Lin disposed of his in potted plant next to him and prayed the plant would survive the onslaught. Mai came in a couple of times with some tea, much to everyone's relief, and apologized before heading off again. Mai was repeating the series of events again until Bou stopped her, demanding to know what was going on.

"I'm having a couple of lessons," Mai responded.

"Lessons?" Ayako asked. "On what?"

"On how to break the enchantment that traps the fox."

"How?"

"Saku-chan said it would work in sync with your chant, Ayako."

"How are you going to break it?" John asked.

"With a unique elemental seal," Sakura said at the entrance to the room, startling everyone.

"Saku-chan! Are you sure you should be up?" Mai exclaimed as she jumped up.

Lin jumped up as well, seeing how pale Sakura was, and escorted her to the couch and sat her down. Sakura was offered tea and she had some before speaking up again.

"What we'll be doing is a combination of eastern and western magic. In combination with Ayako-san's chant and spirit summoning, it should be strong enough to free the good fox."

"What do mean by 'we'?" Bou questioned.

"Mai will be assisting me and lending me some of her power since I won't be strong enough on my own in my current condition."

"Isn't that dangerous, Sakura-san?" John asked.

"Not as dangerous as the dark fox gaining its ninth tail. It currently has eight. Another strong aura and it shall easily gain nine. There is another target it can go after at any time."

"Who?" Naru asked.

"Satsuki-kun. She has untapped potential as a shrine maiden. She will discover her talents soon if the fox doesn't have his way. One way or the other, all shall be settled tonight."

Mai fidgeted in her seat as the others gaped at Sakura, even Naru knew better than to contend with her at this point.

"Mai, have you asked Satsuki-kun for that favor yet?"

"No, Saku-chan."

"We'd better hurry, then. I would like to have a long talk with her."

"Let's get you to your room first."

"Very well," Sakura said as she slowly stood up.

She started to sink back down when Lin and Mai caught her and escorted her out, leaving the others more confused. Naru was confused as well, but not about the plan that Sakura had in mind. That was the only thing he was fairly certain about and thought it would be interesting to see. He was confused as to why Lin was suddenly so helpful and concerned.

Sakura was back on her mat and Mai left the room to look for the granddaughter, leaving her and Lin alone as she braided her hair. Sakura did not seem to mind the company and she explained to him the importance of the crystals that she was going to use in the ritual.

Each crystal represented the element of water in various states. A misty looking crystal for water in its gaseous state, one as clear as water itself to represent water, and one that represented ice, water in its solid state. Lin looked at her with a quizzical look on his face.

"The fox couldn't remember what form of water was the key so I'm covering all the bases," Sakura explained.

"Who taught you this magic? It is foreign to me."

"It's a secret, Lin-san."

Just then, Mai opened the door and the granddaughter entered, sitting next to Lin. Mai took a seat on the other side a Sakura.

"Satsuki-kun. I hope I'm not taking up valuable time."

"Just some cleaning. Well, re-cleaning, actually."

"Good. Did you bring your precious item with you?"

"I have this necklace of yin and yang," Satsuki said as she removed it from her neck. "My Great Grandmother gave it to me when I was young and told me to always keep it with me."

Sakura looked at the necklace thoughtfully and Mai noticed a faint light blue aura coming from it and questioned it.

"So you do notice it, Mai," Sakura said.

"I thought that it was just the stone looking like that," Satsuki interjected.

"No, Satsuki-kun. You are a spiritually gifted person. In fact, this necklace was the reason why the fox hasn't attacked you yet. Now, I have a question to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Will you be willing to control the foxes that are bound to this temple? There are only two, the yin and the yang. Neither can exist without the other and both are powerful messengers that bring peace to each other."

"Me? Really? Why not Mom or Dad? My brother?"

"They are not as powerful as you, nor as skilled. You alone decided to follow your grandfather's wisdom and chose this path and so it must be your choice to accept this duty as a shire maiden and your family's legacy."

Mai saw Naru open the door a little and watch the event as the granddaughter weighed her options. Sakura waited patiently as the girl meditated on the option when the girl opened her eyes, she had a steel resolve.

"Do they want this? The foxes, I mean."

"One fox does. The other needs your guidance."

"I'll do it, then. What exactly do I need to do?"

"I will need you to be by my side as well. You will be making a pact with the foxes by calling their names and saying afterwards 'come to my side'."

"What are their names?" Mai asked.

"The white fox's name is Hama while the black fox's is Kishi."

Lin sat there, shocked. Had she really discovered names for the foxes? How and when did she? Just what was she? He watched in silence as she put up her hands to push away the praise she was receiving from both Mai and Satsuki at her abilities.

"I have the bad habit of working, even when I'm unconscious," she stated.

"You mean the astral projection?" Mai asked.

"A combination of astral projection and dream sequencing, Mai. I have the feeling you can do the same thing as well, with a little bit of practice that is."

"Really?"

"Yes. You are…unique and Naru doesn't see that just yet."

As the three talked, Lin just listened, trying to absorb the information he just received like a sponge. Just who taught this woman and why was it such a secret?

Sakura knew she was driving Lin crazy by not telling him who taught her. She made a promise though and she planned on keeping it, even if it made the others suspicious. Mai trusted her and that was all she cared about. Sakura also knew that Mai's innate talents were growing and that she would need help understanding the changes that would happen and she was going to be there to help her. She just hoped she was ready to be the teacher instead of the student.

She glanced over at Lin who looked up just at the same moment and their eyes met. Heat crept up to her face and she quickly pushed it back down, looking up at the open door and Naru. Mai followed the gaze and jumped up when her eyes laid on Naru. Lin looked as well and got up, leaving the room and went down the hall with Naru, followed by Mai who went to make tea. Satsuki giggled and asked if Naru and Mai were a couple.

"Not yet, but it won't be long with the way they're going," Sakura replied.

"Oh, that reminds me. I have a prediction about you, Kohinata-san."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Well…you already met your soulmate and it was quite recently too."

"Is that so? Interesting because my work is my passion."

"This talent doesn't lie. You've already met him and he will soon be is your sight again. I couldn't see the face though because the full moon was behind him. My visions aren't that good yet."

"That will get better in time, Satsuki. In the meantime, you have some cleaning to do."

"That's right! I'll see you tonight, Kohinata-san."

"Sakura-san."

"Very well, Sakura-san."

Satsuki left the room and the silence gave Sakura time to think about what she said. Had she really met her true love? When? Where? The image of Lin appeared in her mind and she felt her face heat up. The feeling was foreign to her so she just pushed it down and prepared for the night's events.

 _"I have no time to think about such things now anyway."_

Night was rising and the group was just outside the shrine. Ayako was the closet to the shrine, prepared for her chant while Mai, Sakura, and Satsuki were a few feet behind her with a pentagram drawn in chalk on the ground with the three crystals forming a triangle around it. In the center was the small statue that the fox was trapped in and Satsuki's necklace. Sakura held onto Mai's hand and nodded at Ayako, who nodded in return and spun around to face the shrine.

Ayako began chanting something similar to what she was chanting in the beginning and Sakura followed with her voice barely above a whisper. Two of the summoned tree spirits hovered around the crystals and the one representing mist began to glow as well as the pentagram. Mai looked and tightened her grip on Sakura's hand as soon as she saw the black fox and its eight tails. It was circling Ayako like an impatient shark before it lunged forward. Two white lights that Mai knew were shiki shot straight at it and distracted it as they circled it. The fox suddenly looked their way and ran towards them. The statue glowed bright white and shattered as white hot lightning shot forth from it and took the shape of an eight tailed fox with blue eyes and glistening white fur. It tackled the black fox and took its scruff into its jaws, holding it in place.

"Now, Satsuki!" Sakura shouted above the cries

"Hama! Kishi! Come to me!"

The necklace showed its bright blue aura and levitated into the air, stopping at chest level. Both foxes were being pulled towards it and the white fox kept a firm grip on the resisting black one as they transformed into little ribbons of light and they slowly became absorbed into the necklace. Once that was done, the necklace floated to Satsuki and wrapped itself around her neck before it came to rest on her chest and the light faded away. Sakura released Mai's hand and knelt down onto the ground, having a slight catch in her breath and the others surrounded them.

"Sakura-san, are you alright?" John asked, being the first one there.

"Yes. Just a little tired, that's all. Mai was a big help."

"So why didn't you want to tell us about your plan?" Naru asked.

"I like to be mysterious. That is one thing we have in common."

Naru smirked and walked away to the camera and collected the video as Lin helped Sakura up and towards the house. Mai followed and stopped in the kitchen to make tea while they continued on to Sakura's room. Once there, Lin set her down on her mat and helped her out of her jacket before grabbing her hairbrush and giving it to her. Mai came in with tea and two cups for them and then she quietly left, heading back towards base. The two sat in silence before Lin spoke up.

"Your skill in magic is astounding."

"Thank you, but I'm still not telling you who taught me."

"Why not?"

"Secret."

"I've also read one of your books. How you put words onto a page is eloquent. It is as if I'm really there."

"That's my aim. To put someone somewhere where they can't be."

"Are you busy on Saturday?"

"No. At least, I don't think so."

"How about we have lunch?"

Sakura almost dropped her brush. Was he asking her out on a date? Was she really ready for that? Her face went red as she looked at him.

"I would like to know more about your magic skills."

She released her baited breath. So he just wanted to know more about her skills. There should not be any harm in that.

"Lunch sounds lovely," she answered.

"How about that café near the crystal and magic shop? We both might need some more supplies."

"Good idea."

"I'll pick you up from your place at noon."

"Sounds fine to me."

Little did they know that Mai actually did not leave yet and overheard their conversation. She quickly tiptoed away and then ran to the base to tell Naru what was going on. The others overheard her and were snickering with each other as Naru quietly listened.

"Interesting. Let's spy on them," Naru suggested.

"WHAT?!"

M2: Next chapter, I'll be taking a break from cases and focus on more of everyday life. They have to have lives of their own aside from cases all the time. See you soon!


	9. Date?

M2: As promised, a more personal side of the team! This time, I'm really having Naru break character. Enjoy!

DATE?!

It was early in the morning on Saturday when the alarm clock chimed, causing a hand to come out from underneath some covers and slam the clock to shut it off. The covers flipped over to reveal Sakura wearing a black t-shirt and shorts, her hair being in a messy braid. She did not sleep well due to the fact that Lin was going to pick her up later to take her out to lunch. Sure, it was to only find out more about her abilities but she was still nervous. She climbed out of bed and went to her computer to begin typing, something that would hopefully distract her. She began typing away at a document she had previously created but her mind always kept drifting towards the few hours that she had until Lin showed up. Sakura pushed herself away from her computer and sighed. The shiki that appeared before Mai popped up beside her and asked her what was wrong.

"Do you think I should really go out today, Will?" Sakura asked.

The shiki nodded.

"What are you scheming?"

"Nothing," Will responded as he looked away.

"You could never lie to me. It's only an interview, that's all."

"Then why are you nervous?"

"I…I don't know," Sakura growled.

"I know why."

"Why?"

"Not telling," Will teased.

"William," Sakura warned.

"Still not telling. You have to find out for yourself."

"You are impossible sometimes."

"And you're clueless."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Sakura shook her head and rose up from her chair, heading towards the closet and opening it. She pulled out dark denim boot-cut jeans and a white button down shirt. She then pulled out an eggplant colored, thin, scoop neck sweater that she could easily fold over the cuffs of her shirt up to the elbow without everything looking weird and bulky. She then reached down and pulled out a pair of three-inch heeled black booties to tie it together with a simple tiger's eye pendant on a gold chain. She brought the items to the bathroom as well as towels and prepared the bathroom for a shower.

"Please keep an eye on Hant ā and Heisei for me, will you?"

"Sure. Those little spirits can get into trouble when you're not looking."

"They're also kids."

"Go have your shower. I'll keep an eye on them."

"Thanks."

Thirty minutes later, Sakura was back out of the bathroom, dressed up and her hair in a fishtail braid when two spirits, a boy and a girl, grabbed her legs.

"Where you going, Mom?" The boy asked.

"Out Hantā."

"With who?" The girl asked.

"With Lin-san, Heisei. He wants to know more about my abilities."

"Is it a date?" They chorused.

"No," Sakura replied, blushing.

"You like him. You like him," Heisei said in a sing-song voice.

"He's a good person and an onmyouji of considerable skill. I should be able to learn more about him today as well."

"Boring," Will said, appearing out of nowhere.

"Where were you, Will?"

"Two little somebodies found the spirit chains again."

"Uncle Will!" The children whined.

"Now, now kids. You know better than to play with those," Sakura chastised.

"Sorry, Uncle Will," They said.

Just then, they all heard a knock on the door and Sakura looked up at the clock. It read five minutes before noon.

"You know what to do. Coming!" Sakura called as the shiki hid themselves from view.

She went over to the door and looked through the peephole, seeing Lin standing there in the main hall of her condominium complex. She opened the door and let him in.

"All I have to do is put on my boots and we'll be on our way," Sakura said as she closed the door.

Lin nodded and watched as she put on her boots. She was dressed modestly but found her stunning. When she stood up, she was just shy of his own height and she grabbed her purse. He opened the door for her and she walked out, him following her and closed the door in order for her to lock it. They soon left the complex and Lin drove them to a small café by a bookstore, unknowingly being tailed by the rest of the group of ghost hunters. Lin and Sakura sat outside on a fine day while the rest were across the street hiding behind some bushes in the park.

Mai watched as the two looked through the menu and a waiter take their order before she turned away for a minute, letting John have a turn.

"What's wrong, Mai?" Masako asked.

"I don't know, exactly. I want to watch but feel like we shouldn't at the same time."

"You don't want to see them kiss?" Ayako teased.

"EH? Sh-she wouldn't do that!" Mai exclaimed, turning red.

"Shhh!" Bou hissed as he continued watching.

"Looks like they're just talking," John added.

Mai turned to look and saw that they were indeed talking. To her, it seemed light-hearted but also serious at the same time, not like a date would go. Naru was watching them intently through binoculars and Mai was wondering what he was doing. He answered the question before she could ask.

"I'm reading their lips. He's asking her questions about her abilities and she's answering them. Right now, he's asking her if she has any shiki."

"Well, does she?" John asked.

"One of them is about to run interference right now. Gah!"

A little white light popped up in front of him and it swirled around the group before drifting back across the street towards Sakura where both Lin and Sakura were looking in their direction. Mai ducked down and covered her mouth, embarrassed that she had been caught. She looked up and saw Naru glaring at Sakura and Lin before sitting down next to her.

"Didn't know she had shiki," Naru muttered.

"Sorry! I should've said something!" Mai wailed.

"Wait. You knew?"

"Yes. He protected me from the dark fox at the temple."

"Mai."

"Yes?"

"Next time, tell me something relevant.

"Sure."

Suddenly, a waiter from the café came over with a tray full of smoothies for the group causing confused looks to be thrown about.

"These are courtesy of Kohinata-sama. Enjoy!" The waiter said and left.

Mai laughed as the others looked at her like she lost her mind.

"She always does something like this. This time, it's our turn," Mai explained as she grabbed the cup with her name written on it and took a sip.

She tasted strawberry and orange, her favorite combination. Naru had a green tea and mint combination while Masako received a raspberry and chai mix. Ayako and Bou had strawberry and banana mix while John had a lemon and mint combination. Mai stood up and waved her thanks and received a wave back from Sakura before she continued talking to Lin.

Mai watched as Lin and Sakura continued to talk and she noticed that Sakura had a small blush gracing her face. She then noticed Lin had a blush as well. Mai watched as they talked, hardly touching their food when it arrived and Mai came to one conclusion. This was turning into a date. Shocked, Mai quickly sat down and turned her back to the scene. Sakura on a date…OMG!

"Well, this is unexpected," Ayako chuckled out.

"What's so funny?" Mai demanded.

"No need to get defensive, Mai. Who would think someone as nice as Sakura-san on a date with Lin."

"What exactly is wrong with my assistant?" Naru demanded.

"He's usually so silent and straight-laced that I didn't think they would be a good match."

"Come again?" Lin suddenly said, surprising them.

"Lin-san! Saku-chan!" Mai exclaimed.

"It was nice of you to drop by but it was just an interview, that's all," Sakura explained.

"Then explain the blushing," Bou countered.

"What blush?" Sakura countered back.

Bou grumbled and stalked off, followed by John to calm him down. Ayako and Masako giggled while Mai and Naru stood there with their mouths agape. Sakura and Lin walked away to their car and drove off while the others remained there, two of them frozen to the ground.

Back at Sakura's condominium, Lin and Sakura had their lunch and talked some more, only the subjects were getting more personal. As Sakura cleaned up the dishes, Lin wandered the living room and found a framed photo on the electric fireplace mantle. The picture contained a younger version of Sakura as well as a boy around her age that looked a lot like her and a young boy and girl, maybe six or seven. The young boy had red hair and blue eyes while the girl had black hair and black eyes. Lin heard a crash and turned around to find Sakura standing at the threshold between the kitchen and the living room with two shattered glasses on the floor. She quickly bent down and began picking up the pieces as he rushed forward to help. After picking up the spill, he grabbed two new glasses and filled them with water and brought them out himself.

"Thank you," She said as he handed her a glass.

"You're welcome."

An awkward silence came between the two and it all focused on the picture.

"Who are those people in the picture?" Lin asked

Sakura looked at him, at the picture, then down into her glass. After a moment she looked at him again.

"The one that looks like me is my twin brother. The children are mine. I adopted them so to speak. Hantā is my son and Heisei is my daughter."

"Where are they?"

"They…they died in an accident years ago. It was shortly after that when I met Mai and her mother. I quickly became an older sister figure for Mai and was there as best as I could be after her mother died. Her teacher was kind enough to take her in and I would always send money as well as call every day, no matter what the time was for me. The teacher was able to set up video chat for us so I could see her and help with her homework."

"Where were you?"

"I was working my way through graduate school and was out in the field quite a bit. After that was completed, I was busy with my work but always made some time for her, one way or the other. She's my only living family."

Lin sat there for a minute. He knew there was more than she was telling but he could not bring himself to ask any more. This time, the sadness and pain was distinguishable as she looked back down at her glass. She lived alone and had to take care of herself like Mai but even Mai had some help. As far as he knew, Sakura did not. She was left to fend for herself and she somehow managed just fine. How did she do it? How did she manage? In the research he did earlier, he found out that Sakura had no parents in her life since the age of ten. She never talked of her life after that until now. He reached out and placed his hand on hers, attempting to provide some sort of comfort.

Sakura looked up at Lin and their eyes met. She saw that his eyes reflected sympathy and kindness but also something else. Something she could not figure out at the moment and it felt like she did not want to. She offered a small smile while tears threatened to fall down her face. She never revealed her life after her father passed but she just let a little out. She wondered why she did that. Why did she just open up to him? What effect did this man have on her?

Lin pulled her close and hugged her. He saw the tears welling up in her eyes and he did not know what else to do. He just wanted to ease the pain any way he could. This strong woman carried her burden alone for years and he wanted to lift that off of her shoulders. He realized that he was falling in love with her but needed to take his time with her. He did not want to push her away. He was satisfied that he made the first move and now he had to wait for her to reciprocate the action. He was fine with waiting, he could wait for a while.


	10. Cursed Gate House pt 1

M2: Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. Now we get back to the cases. Enjoy!

FILE 11 PT 1

THE CURSED GATE HOUSE

After the Saturday following Lin and Sakura around, Mai became aware of the fact that Sakura was hanging around the office a bit more with the others and always had adventures to tell. She heard many of the stories before and would focus on her job but she would occasionally listen in on one she had not heard before. She also noticed that Lin stood in the doorway more often than not on the days Sakura was there and listen as well, most likely trying to get clues as to whom she learned her skills from.

 _"When will he get the hint that she won't talk?"_ Mai thought as she watched the scene before her one day.

Suddenly, Will appeared next to her and almost startled her.

 _"Wait. You can hear my thoughts?"_ Mai asked, confused.

The shiki nodded with an impressive grin.

 _"Ok. Do you have a name?"_

 _"It's Will. Short for William."_

 _"You can talk?!"_

 _"Only to those I want to."_

 _"How do you know Saku-chan?"_ Mai asked as she organized files so she would not get in trouble.

 _"I'll let her answer that. Just ask her when you're alone with her."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"The truth…is very painful, Mai. I think that you're mature enough to handle now, though."_

 _"Is it bad?"_

 _"Yes, it is. She also wanted you to see the real her. The person she is now instead of what she did before you met her and would focus on that, becoming afraid of her."_

 _"Will? What did you do?"_

 _"I was forced to do the same thing she was forced to do but I was also a medic and taught her a few tricks."_

 _"What were you forced to do?"_

 _"That is up to her to answer that for me, Mai. I don't want to push you away from her."_

 _"But why…?"_

"Mai, tea," Naru said as he popped his head out of his office and then retreated back inside after glaring at the group before him for they were making a bunch of racket again.

"Yes," Mai said and moved to make the tea.

The others continued on with their chat as Sakura typed away on her laptop, being silent as a mouse aside from the clacking of the keyboard but even that could barely be heard above the noise of Ayako and Bou arguing. John was attempting to calm them as Masako looked on and Yasu had a day off from classes so he was there entranced by the sight of Sakura sitting across from him. Mai quickly made the tea and handed a cup to Naru before setting cups for the others and had just taken her seat when an old woman came in. The woman wore a long black dress with a yellow haori jacket with white and blue butterflies on it. Mai lead the woman to the seat Sakura sacrificed and went to fetch Naru. After asking a few rudimentary questions, Naru asked what was bothering her.

"We bought a home around three years ago and everything seemed fine at first aside from having some trouble with the gate but now it is much worse," The woman replied

"What kind of trouble have you always had with the gate?" Naru asked.

"The gate would never truly close or the gate would wide open even though someone locked it. We were in a safe area so we never really worried about it."

"What are your other troubles?"

"For the past month or so, we have dealt with screams coming from nowhere, fast moving shadows, coldness, and three fires starting in the kitchen although no one was cooking anything or even near the kitchen and the fire department can't explain the cause of it."

Naru scribbled notes into his journal and then set the book down.

"Please help us. We barely can contain ourselves anymore. We also are terrified on the gunshots."

"Gunshots?" Ayako asked.

"Yes. Rapid fire but no signs of damage. The police refuse to come anymore, thinking of it just as a prank."

"Please take the case, Naru," Mai pleaded.

Naru looked at her for a moment then back at the woman seated before him.

"We'll take the case," He said.

"Our place is deep in the woods by Mt. Odake. The house apparently used to be on government land before the land was sold."

Naru made a note of that as Sakura looked up. She had a grim look on her face that no one noticed and she looked down as the woman stood up.

"Thank you for your time and agreeing to help us. We just want this to end."

The woman left after that and the group looked at Naru who was sitting there in deep thought. Sakura was typing madly on the computer, and Mai noted that she was tense. Sure enough, her eyes were wide as she stopped and Naru looked up.

"We leave tomorrow," He said.

"Naru, they were conducting experiments in the area when the land was owned by the government," Sakura said.

"What kind?"

"Classified information kind."

"Are you able to dig deeper?" Bou asked.

"It'll take time but I can do it."

"And I'll do some research about the house and family itself," Yasu volunteered.

"Good. Meet here early tomorrow," Naru said and retreated into his office.

"Mai, would you like to stay at my place tonight?" Sakura asked.

"Sure! But…"

"What is it?"

"But why?"

"There's something I wish to discuss with you before we go."

"Okay."

Sakura waited as Mai finished her work for the day and then they went her condominium and had dinner together and as they got ready for bed, Sakura sat down next to Mai on the bed.

"Mai, remember what I said earlier?"

"Yeah. What did you want to talk about?"

"My past, before I met you."

Mai's heart skipped a few beats before continuing on. Sakura wanted to talk about her past? Right now? Why?

"Mai, before I met you. I was forced to be part of a government experiment. They had secret labs in America and in Japan. I met my blood brother there as well as adopted son and daughter," Sakura said as she handed Mai the photograph Lin saw.

"Hey! The older boy looks like Will!"

"Because he is Will. Those three became my shiki out of their own free will."

"What happened?

"I'll get to that. The government experiments were actually done by terrorists that were planning to betray their country and they made the 'perfect' weapon. Biologically enhanced child assassins. We were forced to kill many people, even armies, or face even worse punishments or further experimentation. I openly defied them and became hope for those just like me. I…I had enough and planned a solo raid on the lab in America to destroy it. One thing I didn't count on was my family following me and not listening to my orders. They were killed and I lost mind after that and went on a rampage. I spared no one there since the other victims did not survive the experimentation. I burned the place down by setting explosives. After I created funeral pyres for my family members, I traveled to Japan and destroyed that lab as well and all of the personnel behind it. I was wandering in a deep depression for a while until I met you and your mother. I slowly started to heal again."

"Did these experiments give you your paranormal abilities?"

"No. I always had those. I learned from some of the best masters that I was able to see. However, they were dead but they were impressed by my power that they haunted me and taught me how to control my power."

"So…where we're going…"

"Is where the lab was. I'm afraid I caused this mess, Mai, and now the spirits may be looking for blood."

Mai's heading was spinning endlessly. Sakura was a killer? Really? Why would she lie though?

"Why…why are you telling me this now?"

"I have always wanted you to know but didn't think you could handle it. I recently started to think otherwise when this suddenly showed up at the door. I wanted to protect you but I also wanted you to be the first to know. You are like a sister to me and I'm afraid I will lose your trust over this."

"You won't, Saku-chan! We'll always be family!" Mai asserted as she grabbed Sakura's hand.

Sakura smiled as she hugged Mai tightly and a few tears rolled down her face. Mai just hugged her back. Sakura then left the room so Mai can get some sleep and they both could be ready for the early morning trip to Mt. Odake.

Sakura woke up Mai early in the morning and they quickly made their way to the office, stopping for breakfast along the way. They met Lin and Naru at the office and were helping to load the van up when the others pulled up. They soon were on their way in three cars, Lin and Naru in the SPR van, Sakura and Mai in Sakura's jeep, and Bou, Ayako, John, Yasu, and Masako in a sedan. The drive was long to the mountain and Sakura was giving lectures to Mai on how to use her abilities with Mai taking notes. When they got to the house, the gate was wide open Lin went through first followed by Bou then by Sakura. As soon as her jeep was through, the gate slammed shut on its own accord and locked.

"Time for me to pay for my sins," Sakura said chillingly, making Mai shiver slightly.

"Saku-chan…"


	11. Cursed Gate House pt 2

M2: Hi everybody! Sorry I didn't update in so long. Lot of things going on. Anyway, here is part two!

FILE 11

CURSED GATE HOUSE PT. 2

 _Mai was walking through a forest. The trees were black though, as if they were shadows and the sky was a bleak gray. It was eerily silent, not even the sound of her footsteps could be heard. She soon saw an abandoned building nestled between the shadow trees and standing at the entrance was the slightly glowing form of Sakura facing the building. Mai tried calling out but found that she had no voice so she quickly approached. Sakura disappeared into the building before Mai could get close enough to touch her and Mai had no other option but to follow her inside, despite the ominous feeling that it emitted._

 _Just like the outside, the inside was run-down and abandoned. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw broken glass and brown streaks on the wall, causing her to shiver. She knew it was dried blood. She was focused on the walls and not watching where she was going that she tripped and fell. She winced and sat up and looked at what she tripped over and covered her mouth in shock. She tripped over a ghastly grinning skeleton! She got up and ran down the hall, desperate to get away from the scene and ran down various halls until she was out of breath. She leaned over and panted for a few minutes and looked up to find Sakura walking down the hall. Mai chased after her until she reached a set of stairs and hesitated. There was a cold wind and it smelled awful, even worse than a rotting corpse! Wisps of glowing purple spider webs swayed in the breeze and Mai shivered as she pushed forward._

 _The stairs seemed endless as she continued down and the only source of light was the glowing webs. She finally reached the bottom step and stood just before a door that was cracked open and a purple light poured from it. A quick shadow interrupted the light and Mai grasped the handle before pulling open the door and revealed a massive room covered in purple webs. Sakura was standing in the middle of the room and above her was a web containing several white souls trying to break free. Mai was about to step forward and touch Sakura when she felt something behind her. The first thing she saw was black. She quickly focused to see the body and legs of a spider and the face was covered by a sinister looking kabuki mask in the shape of a human face. The mask face bared its teeth and pounced, causing Mai to scream. The last thing she saw was spirit Naru jumping in between her and the spider._

"Mai! Wake up!" Ayako screamed as she shook the hapless girl from her nightmare.

Mai jolted awake to see the group surrounding her and she hugged Ayako and sobbed. Ayako hugged her back and stroked her hair, attempting to soothe Mai when Sakura suddenly burst into the base, looking ready to attack anything in sight. She saw Mai and came forward, sitting down next to Mai and stroking her back. Mai eventually quieted down and was able to sit up on her own. She explained her dream to them and they listened intently to her story while Sakura kept her hand on Mai's shoulder in order to keep her calm. Silent tears fell as Mai finished and the others were in deep thought as to what Mai saw in her dream.

"Could be a kumo yōkai," Bou muttered.

"What's that?" John asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Spider demon," Ayako answered. "They usually live in forests and prey on meat but this one seems different. They typically keep souls or eat them."

As the conversation went on, Lin noticed that Sakura kept silent as she comforted Mai who was shivering slightly. Her eyes seemed hollow and the color was drained from her face as her face became devoid of any emotion. He was about to ask if she was alright but Naru interrupted the group.

"We shall investigate the house as per protocol and see if we can find more answers."

"How can you demand us to work so quickly?!" Ayako spat, upset over the fact that Mai was still visibly shaken.

"Mai, are you ready to record some temperatures with me?" Sakura asked softly.

Mai nodded and stood up, going over to the table to grab a clipboard as Sakura stood up and they left the base together to do their jobs. Sakura watched as Mai checked the temperatures and recorded them on the clipboard, the pencil nervously scratching as it went. Something had to be done.

"Mai."

"Yeah, Saku-chan?"

"Will you tell me what's wrong now since we're alone?"

Mai stopped her work and looked at Sakura for what seemed like the longest time. The hesitation was clear as Mai tried to find her voice.

"I'm scared, Saku-chan."

"Of what?"

"I…I have this feeling that I may lose you. I don't know why I do but I can't shake this feeling."

"If I lose my way, I know that you'll be the one to light my way back. You are the reason for my sanity, my existence. If I hadn't have met you, I would have died long ago. You might see a side of me from the time before I met you before this case is over but don't lose your faith in me. I will see that, I promise you that much, Mai."

Mai closed the distance between them and hugged Sakura tightly. Sakura gave a soft smile in return and patted the teen's head. They soon headed back to base and Mai made some tea as Sakura went over some data with Naru. Ayako and Bou arrived and had some tea with them while they waited for John and Masako to return from their rounds. Osamu was typing away on his laptop, retrieving as much data as he could about the property and was looking quite perplexed as he did so. His break from the university was not turning out well at all at the rate he was going. Bou noticed this teased the young man about it.

"I can only get the public records about this land," Osamu growled.

"What did you find?" Naru asked.

"This is the first family on the land and the land was actually purchased from the government. What they did on this land is classified and I can't even get a hint as to what happened here."

Sakura went over to Osamu and took his laptop from him and began typing away. He peeked over her shoulder and saw that she was on a government site and was logging into the employee section. After that was done, she navigated to a certain page and handed the laptop back to him.

"Just remember that you asked for it," Sakura said and walked out of the room, leaving the others in a stunned silence.

"Well, that was just rude," Masako said as she covered her mouth with her kimono.

"Bad things happened here and she doesn't like to talk about them," Mai defended.

"How would you know?" Ayako countered.

"She told me recently. It…it was hard for her to tell me."

"What could possibly be so bad about this place aside from the hauntings? It's so tranquil out here."

"Oh my God," Osamu said breathlessly.

"What is it, Yasuhara-san?" John asked.

Osamu covered his mouth and bolted out of the room, leaving the others bewildered. John went over to the laptop and began reading and his expression turned to horror as he did so.

"What is it, John?" Bou asked.

"There was a part of the government here and they were actually terrorists. They created biological weapons."

"Out of what?"

"They made super soldiers out of children. They experimented on gifted children and enhanced their powers to abnormal levels as well as their physical capabilities. Those that were useless were executed in front of the others as an example."

Everyone in the room was shocked, even Mai, who had heard it before.

"There was another facility in America which was destroyed before this one was. All employees were killed by one of their experiments code named Shadowsoul."

Osamu returned and the group looked at Mai who had her head down. She did not want to look at them, she was afraid to. She knew what someone would ask but she was praying that they would not.

"Mai," Naru said "How does Kohinata-san know all of this?"

Mai refused to look at him so he got down to her level.

"Mai, is she Shadowsoul?"

Mai looked up at him with tears welling up in her eyes. She then started to sob. She knew what was coming and was hoping that Sakura was not nearby to hear it.

"She killed all of those people?!" Ayako screeched.

"She could be dangerous to have around," Bou stated.

"We should convince her to leave," Masako said.

Lin sat at his station, shocked by what he saw and heard. The woman so close to Mai and stirred up his curiosity was an assassin? She committed murder? The same kind and caring person that they have come to know has such a dark past? His mind simply could not fathom it!

"She wasn't herself!" Mai wailed. "After all the experiments that they did to her and her team, her family, she lost them all! They asked her to kill them except for three of them because they couldn't take anymore! That…that sent her over the edge! She raided the American facility and the remaining three got caught up in it and were killed before her! Her brother and her children! It drove her to the point of insanity and she didn't recover for days after that and during that period, she raided the facility here!"

"Mai, calm down," Sakura suddenly said from the doorway, startling them.

"Saku-chan!" Mai wailed and tackled her into a big hug.

"Sh, its okay, Mai. It was bound to come out sooner or later. Don't cry, Mai," Sakura said as she stroked the sobbing girl's head.

Lin just could not take it anymore. Brother? Children? Just how old was she? His mind was about to fry. What should he say? What should he do? He was at a complete loss.

Sakura was concerned. She overheard everything much to Mai's dismay and now she was waiting for them to make a move. She had a difficult time of keeping herself from trembling. She did not want Mai to detect her fear. Would they make her choose between her and them? One thing was for certain. She could not abandon this case.

The others kept their distance for the next few hours and Sakura was sitting by the window looking out when John approached her and sat down next to her.

"Yes, John?" Sakura inquired while she still looked out the window.

"I have a couple of questions for you, Sakura-san."

"I do regret what I have done in the past, if that is one of your questions. I was blinded by fury, sadness, frustration, agony after I carried out my promise to my team except for those three that didn't want it. I became…calculating impulsive. I wanted to bring them down. I tried to keep my brother and my children out of the raid but the next thing I knew, they were there. I was just out of reach and couldn't protect them. They were killed by them and I lost the little control I had left. I became what they wanted. To kill indiscriminately. My rage carried me across the ocean and deep into this forest and I couldn't remember anything until I finished staining my hands with blood. I know I will end up in Hell for what I have done but I try to repent as much as I can here. I help bring knowledge of the past and help the dead at the same time. Am I really nothing but a monster, John?"

"If you are, Sakura-san, you're the strangest one yet. Monsters usually don't have a guilty conscience after they commit their murders."

"Thank you, Father," Sakura said as she gave him a wan smile.

"You're welcome."

"You had another question for me?"

"You mentioned children. Were they really yours?"

"Not by blood but by bond. They called me 'Mom' since day one and I loved them as if they were my own since then as well. They also chose to remain by my side as my shiki along with my brother."

"They're your shiki?"

"Yeah. I suppose they wanted to make sure that I'm okay."

John gave one of his charismatic smiles and then went back to the others before they decided to go to bed and Sakura volunteered to stay up and watch for any paranormal activity. Now staring at the monitors, Sakura waited patiently for anything out of the ordinary. Time slowly ticked by and Sakura decided to take temperatures and she went from room to room and when she reached the last one at the far end of the house, the lights suddenly went out and she became cold and numb. The last she remembered was being hit in the back of the head before her world went black.


	12. Cursed Gate House pt 3

M2: I want to thank everyone that has been reading my fanfiction and following it as well. Enjoy part 3!

FILE 11

CURSED GATE HOUSE PT. 3

Mai woke up very early and saw that Ayako and Masako were sleeping to her right. She looked to her left and saw that Sakura's bed was empty and never slept in.

 _"Maybe she stayed in the base all night. It would be like her,"_ Mai thought as she got up and changed.

She went to the kitchen first and made some tea for them then went to the base to find it empty. She found it odd and her instinct told her to check the cameras so she started doing so. She carefully searched each monitor until she reached the last one when her eyes flew open wide. Laying there on the floor was Sakura and it looked like there was a small pool of blood by her head.

"Saku-chan!" Mai cried out and dashed out of the base, grabbing a black backpack as she went.

Lin woke up with a start. One of his shiki told him something was wrong and he should go to the base. He quickly did so and found it empty aside from a steaming pot of tea. He checked the cameras and found Mai kneeling on the ground with her back to the camera and blocking what she was kneeling over. She then shifted to dig in a black bag and Lin saw what she was kneeling over, the prone figure of Sakura. Lin's heart sank as he bolted out of the base and past a bewildered John towards where the two were. When he got there, he saw that Sakura's head was bandaged and that she was murmuring incomprehensibly. Mai was cleaning up and wiping the sweat off of her brow. She looked up worriedly at Lin.

"I did the best I could but Saku-chan is the medic, not me. I don't know how long she's been here but the blood's dry. Hopefully she'll wake up soon."

Lin nodded and carefully picked Sakura up bridal style and turned to head back to the base with her. He saw that John had followed him and he silently led the group back to the base and opened the door for Lin and Mai to enter. The rest were up by this time and were shocked by the scene before them as Lin put Sakura down on the couch. Naru was already going through the recordings for the night and let the events play through on the screen when he found some activity.

The others gathered around and they saw Sakura suddenly freeze and appear sluggish as a well- built man snuck up behind her with a set a heavy weights in hand and bashed her over the head with them before running off into the night. They recognized the man as Yusuke Kishimoto, the owner's son. Just then, the wife of the man came in and announced that he was missing.

"How convenient," Bou said bitterly.

"What happened?" The wife asked when she spied Sakura.

"He hit her over the head with his weights, that's what," Ayako snarked.

"No! It can't be! He won't even harm a fly!"

"Mrs. Kishimoto, please look at this," Naru said and stood aside so she could watch the screen.

The wife watched as the events unfolded before and she gasped. She looked back at Naru and stood straight.

"It may look like him, but that is not my husband."

Just then, Sakura began to stir and Mai was by her side in a heartbeat. Mai watched anxiously as Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she groaned as she placed a hand on her head.

"Nothing like a good set of weights to knock a person out," she muttered.

"You know what happened?" John asked.

"Yes. A spirit possessing Yusuke Kishimoto hit me over the head. I always had the difficulty of detecting spirits who are possessing living beings and it makes the being almost undetectable as well. I didn't sense him until last minute but I was already in the trap and couldn't move," Sakura explained.

The group was silent as they absorbed the information. Mrs. Kishimoto started sobbing for her missing husband and Masako comforted her as Mai helped Sakura up and led her to the woman.

"Mrs. Kishimoto," Sakura began, "I promise you that we will find your husband and bring him back."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," Mrs. Kishimoto replied with a small smile and left the room.

"How exactly do you plan on finding him?" Bou asked after a minute.

"Like I always do," Sakura replied.

"Which is?"

"Going to the source."

"Saku-chan, you should be resting!" Mai exclaimed.

"I'm alright now, Mai. Really."

Lin wanted to say something in protest but he had to keep his composure. Naru took note of his uneasiness and jotted something down in his journal. John joined in with Mai on protesting Sakura's help at the moment, wanting her to rest from her injury. Masako was insisting that she go to the hospital.

"I'm fine, really. It's time to change the bandages anyway."

"I'll help!" Mai volunteered.

Sakura and Mai left the base as the others remained behind, hesitant and unsure of what to do. Naru cleared his throat and they all looked at him with the exception of Lin, who was studying all the data from the night before.

"John, Hara-san. Check the temperatures and record them while checking for spirits. Bou, Matsazuki-san, look for the missing husband and bring him back here."

"And what will you be doing?" Ayako questioned.

"Looking for clues."

The four left and Naru turned to Lin when they were alone.

"Lin, I want you to go talk to Sakura-san for clues."

Lin just looked at him incredulously.

"I know you wish to check on her condition anyway so just go. Having you distracted isn't going to help me sift through all the data."

Lin stood up and glared at Naru. Upon seeing his unwavering nature, Lin sighed and left and headed towards the room where the women were sleeping in, assuming that is where they would be. As he approached, he heard voices and knew he was right. He was about to knock on the door when he heard Mai speak up.

"Saku-chan, when will you stop wearing the bandages around you to cover up the scars on your back? They don't bleed anymore."

"I still don't like to see them," Lin heard Sakura reply.

"You miss your dad, don't you?"

"He was the kindest man I ever knew. He gave me a chance that no one else would. A chance at a happy life."

 _"Sakura…_ " Lin thought mournfully as he knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Mai inquired.

"Lin-san."

"…Come in."

Lin entered to see the two cleaning up and putting a medium-sized black box in a black backpack. He came forward and sat next to Sakura on the floor.

"How are you feeling, Sakura-san?" He asked

"I'm feeling fine, considering the injury. I just wanted to clean up a bit."

"I see."

"Mai, can you make us some tea?"

"Sure, Saku-chan!" Mai saluted and scampered out of the room.

"Lin-san, did Naru ask you to come check on me?

"…He asked me to inquire for clues."

"And why are you here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," He replied as he placed his hand on hers.

Sakura looked down and blushed as she smiled softly and warmly. Her skin seemed to glow and Lin could not help but smile as well. He was falling for her hard and he knew it. Was she falling just as hard?

"I don't know if the camera caught the image but there where spirit webs in the hall I was in before I was attacked. They fluoresced slightly as soon as I touched them. They instantly drained me of my spiritual energy and strength, making me a perfect target for Kishimoto-san. This kumo yōkai can travel between this plane and the next, making it onerous to detect."

"Really?"

"Yes. It is also probably larger than the typical kumo yōkai based on the webs that I saw. It should be approached with caution."

"Sakura-san, he could have killed you."

"I know. I believe that was its intent. It is the inherent risk that we accept when we take on these cases."

"How can you speak of it so casually?"

"I am not afraid of death, Lin-san. That's how."

Mai walked in with a tray of tea cups and kettle at that point, ending the discussion then and there. Sakura happily accepted her tea and Lin left the room so they could talk amongst themselves. He thought about her last statement as he walked back to the base and reported her observances to Naru. He nodded and jotted down a few notes then resumed his work before all eventually retired to bed. It andwas not until the next morning that Lin woke up to Mai calling Sakura's name. He got up and went to the door of his room.

"Mai? What's wrong?"

"I can't Saku-chan anywhere! My dream came true!"

"What dream?"

"That she found the lair of the kumo and went to hunt it down!"

"Are you sure?"

"Her bag isn't here, Lin-san! What are we going to do?!"


	13. Cursed Gate House pt 4

M2: Sorry that I haven't been updating regularly but between work and doctor appointments, I've been busy. In fact, I'll be having two problem teeth extracted in a couple of weeks! Anyways, enjoy part four!

FILE 11

CURSED GATE HOUSE PT. 4

Lin watched as Mai paced back and forth, trying her absolute best to wear down the floor, as his shiki searched the nearby woods after he searched the house. Sakura was playing a dangerous game, going after the kumo on her own, but where was the installation to begin with? The property spanned acres and most of it was dense with trees and wilderness. Just then, Masako walked in gracefully with a tea tray and some cookies and set it on the table. Lin eyed the tea suspiciously as she prepared a cup and handed it to Mai who took a sip of it. Seeing no bitter reaction from Mai, Lin made the assumption that the tea was actually decent and made a cup for himself. He tasted it and had to force himself to swallow it before discreetly dumping the rest in a flower pot. The one thing that Masako Hara was not good at was making tea.

Lin went back to studying the maps that he had on the screen, scouring it for any lead as to where the installation may be at and while he did so, Osamu walked in with his laptop and sat next to him.

"Looking for the base too, eh?" Osamu inquired.

Lin just nodded, not taking his eyes off of his screens.

"Maybe we can compare the maps with the data that Sakura-san gave us, especially with this formerly encrypted map from when the base was active. Some of the data is corrupted, though."

Lin looked away from the maps on his screens and focused on the laptop. There was a map, but several pieces of data was missing from it. Maybe, just maybe, they would be able to find the base yet. Osamu, as if reading Lin's thoughts, began typing away at his keyboard and fidgeting with the cursor as Naru walked in with John, Bou, and Ayako. Ayako immediately went over and sat next to Mai and put her arm around her in an attempt to comfort her while John and Bou gazed out of the window as Naru pondered over his notes.

"Any luck with the maps?" Naru suddenly asked, breaking the enveloping silence.

"Almost. Just have to pull up a few more maps," Osamu replied.

Mai walked over to Osamu and watched as he worked and then pointed to a spot on the screen.

"It's in this quadrant," she announced, shocking the others.

"Are you sure?" Naru asked.

Mai nodded and looked like she was about to burst into tears as she left the room. The remaining group looked at each other before surrounding Osamu as he worked furiously to confirm Mai's statement. After a few minutes, He completed his work and it matched perfectly.

"She's right, Boss. The base is in the quadrant. Better go find Sakura-san."

Lin's shiki appeared before him and told him that Mai was in the woods heading north-east with a determined look on her face. Lin, in turn, reported this to Naru and the others.

"We'd better hurry and catch up to her," John stated.

"Yeah, before she gets herself into a lot of trouble," Ayako added.

In a matter of minutes, the group was out the door, leaving Osamu and the family behind and heading north-east towards the installation or what remained of it. No matter how fast they seemed to go, they never even managed to spy Mai in the distance. After a while, the group was starting to wear down and Ayako was complaining that her feet hurt.

"Well you shouldn't have worn high heels, Ayako," Bou informed.

"I didn't have time to change!"

"How many outfits do you have?!"

The bickering continued as the group went along until Masako tripped over a partially exposed root and John was instantly by her side.

"Are you alright?"

Masako nodded and stood up, gently brushing off her kimono before continuing on, determined to catch up to Mai.

Naru looked at the GPS and then continued forward with Lin close behind and the closer they got, Masako became pale and Naru noticed that.

"Perhaps you should stay here, Hara-san," Naru said.

Masako shook her head and pushed past him to climb the ridge. She was worried about Mai going off on her own after Sakura-san. The kumo may have attacked her already for all she knew. Just as she reached the top of the ridge, she stopped and hugged herself.

John noticed that Masako was hugging herself and quickly climbed the ridge to ask her what was wrong and then he felt it. It was like he walked through a void and absolute silence engulfed him. Nothing could be heard around him and he felt like that if he talked that his voice would be absorbed and nobody would hear him. Looking around him, he could see that the others felt the same way. What was this place that seemed to shake him to the core? It just was not natural and seemed to be an illusion.

Naru walked forward and the rest followed as the dilapidated building soon came into view. It was concrete stained with black soot in places and all of the glass was broken out so that only shards remained. A big set of steel double doors stood tall in the center of the shell and both were wide open and rusted. Vines were climbing up the walls and ensnaring everything in their path as they wound their way through the bars over the windows. They all could feel the dark, oppressive energy that emitted from it. It sent shivers down their spines as they got closer and John began to feel nauseous as he stood by the door. Masako had her mouth covered with her kimono sleeve and Ayako had her brow furrowed together as she hung back with Masako.

Naru walked in first followed by Lin and Bou and John were not far behind. John himself felt light as they entered and looked around to see spider webs glowing a soft purple, creating an intricate and deceivingly beautiful piece of art.

"How beautiful," Bou whispered.

"Don't touch,"Naru ordered.

"I know."

"We are between this world and the next," Masako informed and the group stared at her in surprise.

"The only place to go is down," Naru said and pointed to a wide stairwell.

Lin took the lead and went down first, closely followed by Naru and Masako and Bou took up the rear for the group. Lin made careful observations such as the directions of the webs and saw the old blood streaks on the wall that Mai told him about. Did Mai actually make it this far? What about Sakura? Did she make it here too?

Mai felt warm and she could not figure out why. The place just gave her the creeps. She found Sakura in the room in her dream but she was unconscious. The last she remembered was running over and shaking her shoulder before her world faded to black.

" _Mai, wake up,_ " she heard Sakura say in the distance.

"Mai, I need you to wake up."

"Mmmm. Saku-chan?" Mai murmured.

"Yes, dear. Wake up."

"I'm awake. Where are we?"

"We are still at the base but on a different plane. The plane between this world and the spirit world, where all wandering souls are trapped. Due to a disturbance, the kumo is about to awaken and he will fight for his next meal."

"You mean the others are here and we're his next meal?"

"Yes. Kishimoto-san is in the corner to our left and your job will be to get him out of here while I fight the kumo and kill it. It is far too dangerous to keep alive at this point. The others will be able to help you when they get here. I'll give you my knife to cut the web."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. Now it's time to really wake up."

Mai willed herself to wake up and she found Sakura in a crouching position reaching into her pocket and pulling out a pocket knife. Mai sat up and silently took the blade from her and tiptoed over to the corner where Kishimoto-san was at and made herself as small and as inconspicuous as possible. She watched as the human-sized, spider-human hybrid woke up from its slumber and instantly screeched at Sakura before pouncing at her. Sakura dodged and pulled out a dagger from its sheath buckled onto her thigh and she launched her own attack, thoroughly distracting it. Mai then got to work at cutting the thick web that enveloped Kishimoto-san and had just finished cutting through it when Lin burst into the room.

"Lin-san! Over here!"

Lin looked over and rushed to her and crouched down.

"She said to get him out of here but I can't lift him on my own!"

Bou rushed at this point and hefted the muscular man onto his back and proceeded to the exit. Mai looked around and saw a web that connected to the chandelier-like net that held all of the souls and cut it with the pocket knife, releasing them. The orbs of light scattered and bounced all over the room at first until they started to drift upward and through the ceiling. The kumo flew into a rage at this and charged towards Lin and Mai until Sakura blocked its path and kicked it in the side. Mai thought that she saw tearing at her sleeve but was quickly pushed away by Lin and into Naru's waiting arms to drag her back upstairs and out of the building that was slowly crumbling around them.

"Get out of here, Lin-san!" Sakura shouted.

"Sakura!"

"Get out of here, Kōujo! This place is set to disintegrate in a few minutes! Go!"

"Not without you, Sakura!"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock at that distraction and then refocused on the task at hand: killing the kumo. She kicked the kumo and sent it flying into a wall of webs where it quickly became entangled. Sakura walked forward and pulled out a pistol from underneath her jacket and shot it in the head before it went limp and lifeless. She then went over to Lin and pushed him towards the exit and up the stairs and out of the building. Lin was shoved one last time and he turned to look back at Sakura whose eyes were glowing a bright blue and the top of the entire structure was slowly disintegrating into a bright blue light and slowly working its way down.

"Saku-chan!" Mai cried out.

The building continued to disintegrate without interruption until it had completely disappeared and Sakura collapsed to the ground. Lin dashed over and cradled her in his arms as Mai tried to shake her awake.

"Saku-chan! Saku-chan!" Mai wailed and grabbed her arm.

She felt something warm and wet so she pulled back and found her palm covered in blood. She looked back at the arm and pulled away Sakura's torn jacket to find a giant spider bite on her arm. Mai quickly reached into Sakura's pack and pulled out a bandana before tying it around the injured woman's arm. They hurried back to the house as fast as they could and called for ambulances to take her and Kishimoto-san to the hospital. Mrs. Kishimoto was grateful for all the help that the team did and said she would pray for Sakura-san's safe recovery alongside her husband's. The team packed up and finally made the long trip back to civilization and to the hospital where Sakura was waiting.


	14. Hospital Horrors pt 1

M2: I feel like I'm on a roll again so here's chapter 14! Enjoy!

FILE 12

HOSPITAL HORRORS PT. 1

The doctors said that Sakura was in a coma by the time SPR got to the hospital in the city. Mai was crying her heart out and the girls did their best to comfort her while Naru got the details of what was going on. They learned that the kumo that bit her was poisonous and that was coursing through her system until they found the antidote.

"Although that is a big bite and the details may be too long to tell but it is definitely a spider bite and we need to know what it looked like," Stated the doctor.

Mai looked up and at the doctor. "It had a red marking on its back."

"Sounds like the Australian Redback Spider. No one has died from it before and it certainly hasn't caused this type of reaction. We'll give the antidote a shot and see if there's any improvement," The doctor said then left to carry out his instructions.

"Saku-chan," Mai murmured and collapsed back into her seat.

Lin took the opportunity to sneak a glance at Sakura in her room and she seemed to be at some sort of peace, as if she was seeing someone from a long time ago. Then he saw something odd. A single cherry blossom, a sakura flower, was sitting on her chest. He wanted to go in there and touch it for some reason but fought against the impulse and leaned against the wall and waited. A nurse with short black hair walked by and into Sakura's room with a cart. After a few minutes, the nurse came out and said that they could see her now although she was still in a coma. Mai rushed in and clasped Sakura's hand within her own and the others surrounded the bed. Lin could no longer see the blossom anywhere and wonder if the nurse took it.

"Saku-chan, please wake up," Mai said.

"She'll be fine, Mai. She just needs some rest," Ayako reassured.

"Yeah! Give some time for the antidote to work," Osamu chirped.

Masako covered her mouth with her kimono sleeve and leaned on the bed. Naru asked what was wrong, thinking that something was happening to Sakura.

"Something evil is nearby," Masako uttered before the all heard an earsplitting scream from down the hall.

Bou dashed out of the room followed by the rest of the group stopping just short of the nurse's station. In front of the station stood a child in a bloody hospital gown and long black hair covering her face. Her arm was twisted in such an unnatural way that the palm was now facing the front. She raised her arm and one of the nurses screamed in terror. Bou chanted and the girl turned to face Bou and screamed before disappearing in a wisp of smoke. John went over to the nurses and calmed them down while the others puzzled over the ghost child. Finally the lead nurse was able to speak up.

"She's been haunting this hospital for years, now. Not just her either, but other spirits like her as well. They mostly go after the patients who are near death, but, they sometimes chase after us too and reaching out to us like they want to take our souls. We run away or scream and they just vanish."

"They're like zombies!" The second nurse wailed.

The one nurse who wasn't there was the nurse that had attended to Sakura.

"Where's the nurse that attended to Kohinata-sama?" Masako asked.

"Why, none of us and it's just the two of us up here. The doctor had to go downstairs to get the antidote in the secured room."

"Then who attended to Sakura?" Ayako asked.

Lin raced back to the room and found that it was just like they left it and that Sakura was resting comfortably. He sighed and leaned against the wall just as the others rushed in and relaxed when they her safe and sound. The lead nurse went over to the table beside the bed and looked at a vial that was sitting there and her eyes flew open wide.

"This is the antidote but how did it get here?!"

The doctor walked in out of breath and his hand leaning against the doorframe.

"I…I came back because I…couldn't find the antidote and then I heard the scream from the stairwell because the elevator wasn't working," He explained.

"The antidote is right here and it was already given to the patient!" The nurse exclaimed

"What? How?!"

"I don't know! Now we have ghosts helping people too?! This hospital's going to drive me batty!"

"The ghost child was here again?"

"Yes! And these brave people drove it away!"

"Only temporarily," Bou admitted sheepishly.

"Please, help us! We can't run the hospital like this!" The doctor pleaded. "I'll convince the Director to authorize it!"

"Ask him," Bou said as he pointed to Naru.

"A child? You must be talented! Please accept this case!"

"Naru, please! To protect Saku-chan!" Mai pleaded alongside the doctor.

Something in Mai's eyes made Naru's heart melt and he gave into her demand. She hugged him in return and he blushed while Masako fumed. Mai realized what she had done and backed away before apologizing profusely. Naru just waved her off and ordered the doctor to take him to the Director. The doctor showed him the door and then lead the way out, leaving the rest of the group there to sit around Sakura and Mai placed her head on the bed and closed her eyes for just a few minutes and fell asleep without meaning to.

 _I woke up next to Saku-chan still lying in bed with her eyes closed but I also see a sakura blossom on her chest, softly glowing as it rises and falls with each breath she makes. Standing on the opposite side of the bed was the nurse from before, only dressed in a white kimono underneath a white kamishimo and white trousers called hakama. She had a sword tucked into her black obi on the left side._

 _"You're that nurse! What are you doing here?" I demanded._

 _"Calm down, Mai. I'm not here to harm her if that is what you're afraid of."_

 _"Who are you?"_

 _"I am a Shinigami, Mai, and you have entered the spirit realm through your dreams."_

 _"Why are you here?"_

 _"I'm here to look after Sakura-chan since she is in a vulnerable state. The cherry blossom you see on her chest is her soul and that is how it manifests itself. There is also the problem of these malevolent spirits acting as Shinigami and transforming souls into what you have seen at the nurse's station. These type of souls cannot move on without some sort of purification and guidance but something is keeping them here and that is also why I am here."_

 _"Why did you give her the antidote?"_

 _"I gave the antidote laced with soul suppressant in order to cure her and mask her presence from the spirits here. It is not her time to die yet."_

 _I breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at Sakura who was sleeping peacefully. It made me wonder what she was dreaming about._

 _"She's visiting her family right now, if that is what you're wondering. She misses them terribly."_

 _"I know. Three of them are her shiki because they wanted to remain with her."_

 _"And she wanted to remain with them. It's like a win-win situation with them."_

 _"How much of the hospital have you explored?"_

 _"Not much. I wanted to make sure that Sakura was safe first. You must be careful in your current state as well. You are vulnerable as well. One of the spirits can take you with them and make you to be just like them. Other than that, you are free to travel anywhere in the hospital in this state. You will hardly be detected."_

 _"Ok."_

 _"Good luck on finding something."_

 _"Just take good care of Saku-chan."_

 _"I will."_

 _I left the room and went down the hall to the stairwell that led downstairs and upstairs. My feelings told me to go down so I went down and exited at the entry level. The ghost girl was by the entrance looking out the door but it seemed like that she could not go any further than the spot she was planted at. I stood by the receptionist's desk so I would not be noticed and then the girl turned around and walked deeper into the hospital. I followed her and she went to a stairwell and headed down. I was getting a bad feeling but I followed anyway and found myself in the basement. I looked around but something seemed off about it, like it was too small. I noticed that the girl was at the far end and walked right through the wall! I approached the wall cautiously and examined it and noticed that there was a crack in it. Wait…the crack was too perfect. It was more like a seam. I looked for more and found what I was looking for…a door. There was a hidden door in the basement but where did it lead to?_

 _"Mai, it's time to come back," I heard the Shinigami say._

 _"But…"_

 _"Mai, it's time."_

Mai woke up and released Sakura's hand so she could stretch and looked around. Masako and John were at the window talking while she heard Osamu, Ayako, and Bou just outside the door. Lin had his back against the wall and was watching Sakura and herself.

"Did you have another dream?" He asked.

Mai nodded in response and looked back at Sakura. Sakura would be out for a while and she knew it. At least the Shinigami would protect her. Naru walked into the room just then, followed by the trio from outside. Everyone held their breath waiting for Naru to speak.

"We have a case. Unload the equipment."


	15. Hospital Horrors pt 2

M2: Please enjoy chapter 15!

FILE 12

HOSPITAL HORRORS PT. 2

The van was unloaded and they were setting up in a meeting room on the same floor as Sakura's room so they can check on her frequently. As they worked, Mai told them about her dream, omitting the part about the Shinigami watching over Sakura. She felt safe with the Shinigami nearby and she thought that the news would cause the others to be alarmed, although it was surprising that no one detected her presence yet.

"The basement level is where the morgue usually is. Maybe that is what you stumbled upon in your dream," John suggested.

"But why would there be a hidden door?" Masako wondered.

"We need evidence that the basement level is the source of the activity before we can go down there. The Director did not want us to go down there, which is highly suspicious," Naru said flatly and wrote something down in his journal.

"It was a heavily secured area, that's all I know," Mai added.

There was a knock at the door and the lead nurse entered and closed the door.

"I thought you all would like an update on Kohinata-sama," she stated.

"How is Saku-chan?" Mai asked.

"She is starting to turn for the better. It'll still take a while though before she's conscious."

Everyone exhaled in relief. Their friend was getting better.

"I'll let you get back to your work. If you need anything, let me know."

Naru nodded and turned his attention to the monitor before him.

"Thank you," Mai said and bowed.

The nurse left and they continued to set up. They were able to link up with the camera system in the hospital and their own equipment was able to cover most of the hospital, especially the hotspots for ghost activity. The nurse's station and the cafeteria were covered as well as the hospital entrance where Mai had seen the spirit child trying to leave from and the waiting room. They also had a camera set before the secured door leading to the basement level to detect the comings and goings of anyone or anything.

After they were done, Mai went over to see Sakura and saw the Shinigami sitting in the chair that she occupied earlier. The Shinigami looked up and smiled weakly.

"Hey," The Shinigami greeted.

"Hi. The nurse said that Saku-chan was on the road to recovery."

"Medically, yes, she is. Spiritually, however…."

"What's wrong?"

"She's healing at a much slower rate than usual and because of the present circumstances, this is highly stressing. The shiki can't summon themselves in order to protect her and that doesn't leave me a chance to investigate."

"We can handle the investigation part and John can cleanse the spirits."

"What's happening here isn't natural, unlike the Okobu you had to deal with earlier."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"It doesn't feel natural. Yebisu, or one of the seven gods of luck, have a different but natural feeling to them. This is completely different, something hollow."

"Oh. I sort of get it but don't at the same time."

"You will understand as Sakura teaches you. You have the talent to be like her but not as powerful as she is. She also has a lot of learning to do as well although she is more adept."

"What is she exactly?"

"Seikatsu no Shinigami. Otherwise, 'living death god'. You have the innate talent to be one too, Mai. You would be helping with our work."

"What?!"

"It's in your blood, Mai. Something that the Onmyouji's world considers forbidden, so you can't tell him."

"But…"

"Don't unnerve him in this case. He won't be as effective otherwise and you're going to need everyone you can get."

"Is it really that bad?"

"I think so and I believe that there is a human element involved as well."

"Eh? A human element?"

"I think that a human or a group of humans is behind this so be careful on who you talk to."

"Ok…uh…"

"That's right, I haven't introduced myself yet, haven't I? Name's Miyamoto Mitsuko."

"Miyamoto-san?"

"Yes?"

"How long have you been watching over Saku-chan?"

"Since the beginning. You should get back to work now before the others grow concerned and start snooping."

"Yeah…" Mai said as she looked down.

"Don't look so downcast, Mai. Sakura will be fine and I'll continue to keep an eye on her. Just don't try to do anything brash on your own, ok?"

"Ok."

Mai left the room, reflecting on what Miyamoto-san said. Could a human really be behind it? If so, then who? Just then, the child ghost from earlier appeared before her. Her hair was covering her face and the bloodstained gown was still there but something seemed different in Mai's eyes. Her instinct was telling her that the ghost did not want to harm her this time but, what did she want then? She figured she better try talking to the ghost while she still could.

"Uh, hi."

No response from the ghost, not even slight movement to indicate she heard her.

"What is it that you want?" Mai tried asking.

The ghost picked up her head a little bit and shifted her weight.

"Help us…" The ghost said.

"How can we help?"

"Find the truth in the red room. Set us free…"

"Red room? Where's that?"

Mai's attention was suddenly drawn away from the ghost to the pounding footsteps behind the ghost. She saw Bou running up to them and start chanting.

"Wait! Bou-san!"

But it was too late. The ghost screamed and then vanished once again. Just then, Mai felt the heartache and pain the ghost did. She collapsed to the ground and hugged herself as John ran up to her a crouched down next to her. She could not hear what he was saying to her for the girl's screaming echoed in her mind. When she came back to her senses, she started scolding Bou.

"That hurt, Bou-san! Why did you do that to her?! She was just talking to me!"

"Wait? The ghost was talking to you?"

"Yes!" Mai exasperated.

"You talk to ghosts, now? What else do you have up your sleeve?"

"Bou-san!"

"Sorry, Mai. I didn't mean to hurt you, only protect you."

"I…I know. I'm sorry I got mad. It's just that whatever is keeping them here is preventing them from being cleansed and move on."

"Really?" John asked.

"Yes."

The nurses on the floor were gathering into a small crowd so John and Bou escorted Mai to the base and sat her down before they urged her to speak up to the SPR group. She told them about the supposed human element factor in the case and Naru gave the glare that he demanded to know where she was getting the information. Mai tried to ignore it but he only got in her face. He knew she did not fall asleep that quickly and for so short of time.

"Naru, please," Mai begged.

"Tell us," Naru verbally demanded while giving the same glare.

Mai sighed and closed her eyes before opening them again.

"Promise me that none of you will go charging into Saku-chan's room."

Everyone nodded, especially the hesitant Lin.

"There's a Shinigami watching over Sakura right now and that is what she believes. This whole scenario doesn't feel natural to her as if a human or a group of humans is behind it somehow. She can't investigate it herself because she's guarding Saku-chan from harm right now."

Everyone tensed up at the word Shinigami. Mai could easily read their faces and panic suddenly filled her."

"The Shinigami said it wasn't Saku-chan's time to die yet. It's just that Saku-chan is in a vulnerable state right now. Who better than someone who doesn't need rest? Anyway she's very nice and informative."

"The Shinigami is a woman?" Ayako asked.

"Yes. At least, this one is."

"…Lin, check on Sakura-san," Naru ordered.

Lin was the first one out the door, closely followed by Mai and the others behind her and went to Sakura's room. Lin opened the door and found the person that he recognized as the nurse who first came into Sakura's room earlier sitting by the window. She had on her white garb this time though and just looked at him with hollow eyes.

"What do you want, Onmyouji?" Miyamoto questioned dryly.

Mai pushed her way through and stood between her and Lin with her arms wide open.

"Don't hurt Miyamoto-san!" Mai demanded.

"So she's the Shinigami?" Lin asked as he stepped aside for Naru to enter the room.

"Yes, I am," Miyamoto answered.

"Why are you in this room?" Naru asked.

"So you're the silver tongue that got Mai to talk. I'm here to protect Sakura-san. It is not her time to die yet and I don't want her to be turned into one of these malevolent spirits. Now, since that's taken care of, would you get busy and investigate this already instead of questioning my motives? The spirits are unusually restless and I'd rather have them not find Sakura-san and neither does Mai. So, unless you're here to see Sakura-san and do not want to die early, I recommend you get started."

Ayako could not help but snicker at the last remark and earned a warning glare from Naru.

"Miyamoto-san. All we have to do now is gather the evidence needed to get down to the basement level and to possibly find the red room that the ghost talked about," Mai informed, shocking Lin and Naru with the latest bit of information of Mai talking to ghosts.

"Ah, yes. Proof. Sometimes the most difficult thing to get. Just be careful, Mai. Remember, you are especially vulnerable in your dream state."

"Yes ma'am!" Mai chirped as she pushed the others out of the room and down the hall into the base before closing the door and spinning around to face them.

"Satisfied?" Mai questioned angrily, focusing on Naru.

They all nodded and got back to work gathering data and chasing away a few more of the zombie-like ghosts and every time that John tried to cleanse them, they just kept coming back, even angrier than before as well as more threatening. From time to time, Mai went to check on Sakura and Miyamoto-san informed her that she was improving and that she may wake up tomorrow night if she isn't investigate in her dream state.

"…Believe it or not, Sakura can hear you. She's concerned about the turn of events and she wants you to be careful."

"Thank you, Miyamoto-san for telling me. I can't wait for her to wake up."

"So does that onmyouji."

"He has a name. It's Lin Kōjou."

"Lin-san, eh? Chinese too on top of it."

"Why do dislike Lin-san so much?"

"Onmyoujis and shinigamis never got along. They interfere with our work and you know how troublesome that can be? Very."

"Oh."

"Also, shortly after they came to Japan, they started killing off our living counterparts. You heard me right, killed them! They were completely wiped out! That is, until the ones before started teaching from beyond the grave. Only very few were chosen over the centuries after that and now they started up again when they began teaching Sakura."

"You can't blame Lin-san for what happened before, Miyamoto-san. Judge him on who he is not what he is."

"You're spouting your wisdom again, Mai. Thank you for knocking some sense into me."

"Anytime…I'd better get back to work."

"Ok, Mai. Be careful."

Mai left the room and went back to the base. She found Naru pouring over the data they gathered earlier while Lin was watching the monitors. Osamu was on his laptop and Ayako was preparing charms with Masako helping while John and Bou were absent from the scene.

"Mai, tea," Naru ordered from his table.

Mai immediately turned around and went back out to fetch tea and some sandwiches for they were probably hungry just as much as she was. She was heading back when she came across the ghost child yet again, the only difference was that she was not noticed. The ghost girl walked into a room and Mai followed cautiously and peeked in. The ghost was hovering over a patient in the lone bed and above the patient was a floating orb of light, the typical soul. The girl touched the soul and it violently morphed into the same type of spirit she was but only an adult male with hollow eyes. Just black space where the eyes should have been and blood dripping from the sockets. Mai stepped back and the tray clattered, drawing the attention of the ghosts. She somehow managed to run away with tray in hand and did not stop until she reached the base and barreled in. The others looked at her in shock and she set the tray down while catching her breath.

"Camera…twenty…" She panted.

Naru and Lin reviewed the footage then looked back at Mai, seeing that she barely escaped. Naru sat her down and gave her a cup of tea before facing the group.

"No one goes alone from this point on."


	16. Hospital Horrors pt 3

M2: Had my teeth extractions done and I was bleeding for two days before it stopped. I know you all have been waiting patiently, so here's part three

FILE 12

HOSPITAL HORRORS PT. 3

What Naru saw in the video was beyond Mai but she did not mind being in Yasu's company at the moment. They were recording temperatures and taking others notes just as the other pairs were. Mai was studying the clipboard and bumped into someone around a corner. She fell to the floor and dropped the clipboard while the other person remained standing. Mai looked up and saw a middle-aged man with greying hair and glasses wearing a lab coat looking down at her and extending his hand.

"I'm sorry about that. Are you alright?" asked the man.

"Yes, and I'm the one who should be sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" Mai said as she took his hand.

Pain shot through Mai's arm and images flashed before her eyes. She was looking at them from a point of view that she was the person behind everything. The images were that a lab with dead, decomposing bodies in various states and walls lined with glass vessels containing souls. The souls were different however; sluggish and green as if they were poisoned or radioactive. One wall was lined with monitors and other electrical equipment and strange devices that she had never seen before. The images faded and left her in a confused state. Yasu saw this and touched her shoulder.

"Mai?" He asked.

"Yasu? I…I'm alright. We… we should head back to base."

"Is everything alright? You seem to be pale," asked the man.

"I'm alright. Thank you, though," Mai said and walked away, leaving the man to stand there and Yasu to be confused as he tailed her.

"Mai, what's wrong?" Yasu asked when he caught up to her.

"I had a vision. I have to tell Naru right away."

They reached the base and everyone was there waiting for them. Mai iterated what happened, including giving details of her vision, as she paced the floor. Something about the man gave her a bad feeling about him and she could not shake it. Masako came over and touched her shoulder lightly. The aura she emitted calmed Mai down quickly and Masako let her go.

"Mai, I want you to look at this image," Naru ordered as he pulled up an image on the computer.

Mai came forward and looked at the screen. She nodded when she recognized the man on the screen as the man she bumped into.

"It's him. He was at the room I was, wasn't he?"

"He was watching from nearby. Be wary around him until we can investigate him."

"Yes, Naru."

Naru gave a few orders and while he did so, Mai snuck off to visit Sakura. She entered the room and saw that the Miyamoto was waiting for her. Mai sat down and clutched Sakura's hand while she explained what happened during her rounds to Miyamoto.

"Hmmm. A lab, eh? I wonder…"

"You think that the lab might be in the basement?"

"Yes. We have to get down there. Mai, be wary around this man. I think he may testing you and he may target you for experiments."

"I'll be careful. I only snuck away to be here and talk to you. Otherwise, we are traveling in pairs."

"I see. Mai…!"

The door to Sakura's room flew open and ghost of the girl stood there. The adult ghost was also there. The girl looked at Mai, then at Sakura before stepping forward. Mai stood in between them and the ghost stopped her trek.

"You can't hurt Saku-chan," Mai said.

"She can help uuuuusssssss," the girl responded.

"Not when you transform what you touch. You have to let her heal."

"Then it will be to laaatttee!"

"We almost have enough proof to get in the basement, into the secret lab where he's experimenting on you. You just have to wait a little longer!"

"No more time…NO MORE TIME!" the girl screeched and reached out.

Miyamoto jumped in front of Mai and swung her sword, causing the ghost girl to jump back. The man was about to lash out when the white souls of Lin's shiki attacked and chased the two away. Lin showed up shortly after and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Mai and Sakura were safe. The rest of the gang appeared moments later and started asking what happened. Mai explained and they all looked apprehensive as she talked.

"So, time is running out, eh?" Bou asked.

"That's what she said. Naru, we have to hurry," Mai warned.

"I know. Everyone, back to base."

They went back to the base and Yasu did his research on the mysterious man, whom they discovered was a doctor at the hospital. Mai paced back and forth nervously and only to paused to look up and around. On one of those moments, Mai noticed Lin was focused on the monitors with a glare and a grim look on his face. She went up to him and touched his shoulder, looking at the screen he was focused on and saw that it was Sakura's room.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?"

Lin remained silent and focused back on the screen.

"Don't you trust Miyamoto-san?"

"No, I don't trust Shinigami."

"Why? She's protecting Saku-chan."

"They interfere with the natural order.'

"How so?"

"Long story."

Mai could tell he was getting frustrated at the moment, so she sighed and left him alone. She went back to pacing until Yasu made a noise. She asked what was wrong and Yasu looked up at her with grim eyes.

"The name he uses here is a pseudonym. He has another name and was a doctor in another country before he exiled."

"For what, Yasu?" Ayako asked.

"He was conducting experiments on dead bodies and live persons. Illegal experiments. They wound up being mutilated or scarred for life if they didn't die, which, in many cases, the person died if they weren't already dead. Hospital security shows that he frequents the basement level."

Silence enveloped the room and Mai paled. Did she see his lab? She shook slightly and started her pacing again. Naru retrieved the data from Yasu and left with Lin while Mai was still pacing. John noticed this and asked her if she wanted to see Sakura. Mai nodded and left the base with him and went to Sakura's room where Mai instantly took her hand and told her what was going on, ignoring the fact that Miyamoto had to jump out of the Mai's way. Miyamoto just listened and stayed on guard for anymore ghostly 'guests'. Mai then left a few minutes later with John and went to the base to wait for Naru. He came in shortly after and announced that they had access to the basement and that they were searching for the doctor.

"Great, the morgue," Ayako commented.

"What, scared?" Bou teased.

"Stop it, guys," Mai pleaded and headed out with the others, being closely tailed by Ayako and Bou.

They took the stairwell down to the main floor then Naru slid an access card at the entry to the basement level. As soon as the door opened, Mai felt a sudden chill of dread, so much so that it was suffocating her. Masako leaned on Mai's shoulder with her kimono sleeve covering her mouth. Naru went in first followed by the others and the feeling grew worse for Mai as she descended the stairs. When she reached the bottom floor, Mai was being pulled to a door down the hall. She entered the room and went to the far wall and felt the wall until she reached the seam she saw in her dream. It was the size of a doorway so she knew that she was on the right track. Naru took over and quickly found a loose stone that concealed a lever and he pulled it, releasing the mechanism to open the door. Mai saw that it was exactly like her vision and she shivered slightly. She entered and saw the tube along the wall and all of the monitors on the far wall. In the corner were dead bodies, just piled up on trays, discarded as if they were garbage. The others went in front of her as she stood stock still, absorbing everything, when she heard something behind her. She spun around and saw the ghost girl with her hand extended, reaching out to grab her. Mai cried out and jumped back and noticed the disfigured souls were coming out of the tubes and surrounding them. They were defending themselves from the onslaught and Mai did not see one sneak up behind her until last second.

"Mai!" Naru cried out.

Mai squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for whatever was to come when she heard someone shouting.

"Rin, Pyou, Toh, Shou, Kai, Jin, Restu, Zai, Zen!"

Mai opened her eyes to find the ghost gone and looked in the direction of the voice to see Sakura standing by the entryway in her hospital gown.

"Saku-chan!"

"Focus, Mai!" Sakura ordered as she came forward and put herself back to back with Mai.

The ghost kept reappearing, angrier than before and only stopped when a clicking sound was heard. Sakura shoved Mai behind her and faced the entryway and Mai saw the doctor standing there with a gun pointed right at them when she peeked around her.

"So, you managed to find my lab," the doctor said.

"And you managed to escape prison time for your heinous crimes," Sakura retorted.

All the attention was on the doctor now and Lin was slowly moving forward.

"Yes, I did, Lieutenant. This time, however, you all will be my experiments, starting with you."

Lin stepped in front of Sakura, shielding her and Mai squeezed her eyes shut.

"Freeze! You're under arrest, Doctor!" Mai heard Miyamoto shout.

Mai peeked around to see Miyamoto in a police uniform with a gun pointed at the doctor. He spun around and tried to shoot her but she shot first and hit him in the shoulder. He dropped the gun and she spun him around and handcuffed him. The ghost crept closer to them, wanting revenge. Mai heard Sakura chant something quickly while holding her two fingers up.

"Zen!" Sakura shouted and the room grew bright white.

Mai barely saw the ghosts being enveloped in the light and were purified, regaining their correct forms and smiling before ascending. The light faded away and the room was quiet, almost deafening. Miyamoto took the doctor away and Mai noticed the Sakura was pale.

"Saku-chan?"

"I'm alright, Mai. Just a little tired, that's all."

Mai and Lin both noticed that she was trembling so Lin picked her up and carried her out of the room. He would not put her down until she was back in her room and set her on the bed. He sat down next to her and just looked at her.

"Lin-san, you're staring."

"Where did you learn that?"

"From ancient texts. It was certainly very helpful in this circumstance."

"You're still so weak, though."

"Any other option would've been great at the time."

"Sakura…"

"What, Kōujo?"

Mai came in just then and hugged Sakura.

"I'm so glad that you're awake! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mai, really. Just need some more rest."

A couple of days later, Sakura was discharged from the hospital and the team was thanked profusely before leaving and taking the long drive back to the office. Once Sakura was able to get home, she opened her laptop to begin writing a new novel. This time, one of science fiction.

M2: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It may be a little while before I post a new chapter because I'm dealing with hurricane Irma right now. Stay safe and take care if you are in her path!


	17. Naru and Mai

M2: Hi everyone! I made it through Hurricane Irma safely and it took a little while to get power back! Anyway, enjoy chapter 17!

CHAPTER 17

NARU AND MAI

Sakura was working on her latest novel for the past three days when she heard a knock from the front door. She frowned as she got up, knowing that it was not Mai for she told the girl that she should not be disturbed for that length of time. She trudged over to the door and looked out the peephole and gasped in shock. Standing on the other side was Naru and Lin, with Naru looking serious. Sakura unlocked the door and opened it to her guests.

"Naru, Lin-san, how can I help you?"

"I wish to speak with you," Naru replied.

Sakura thought she heard a twinge of nervousness coming from his voice so she ushered them in and closed the door, locking it, then escorted them to the living room and telling them to have a seat while she prepared some tea. It was not long before she returned with a tea tray with all of the fixings and set it on the table before she sat down in front of them. She served them the tea and took some for herself, having a sip before she spoke.

"So, Naru, what is the matter? Why have you come to me?"

"I wanted to ask your permission to do something," Naru replied in a steady voice, his only give away to his emotions was the slight tremble in his hands.

"Go on, Naru. What is it that you want permission for?"

"I…I want to date Mai."

Sakura just stared at him in complete silence, studying him. He was nervous but was trying hard to hide it. She could see it his eyes especially. They were not as focused as they were when he was working or in front of the others. She kept a cool face but decided to make him earn her permission by playing a mind game.

"Oh, is that so? Tell me, Naru, what makes you interested in her?"

"Well… I… How do I put this? She is a determined and caring person. She lights up the world with her smile and her kind, light voice. She is the only one has really ever stood up to me in such an open way and I find that, in the end, I usually agree with her. She is just amazing and very cute."

"So, you're saying that you love her for who she is than how she looks?"

A blush crept up Naru's face and that earned a sly smile form Sakura. She wanted to make him squirm a little. Lin saw this and wisely decided not to interfere for he feared what deviousness that she could pull on him.

"No! I mean, yes! I mean, I love her especially for who she is but she's pretty at the same time with those fiery eyes. She's adorable!"

"I see," Sakura said as she got up and went over to the window and looked out.

The brilliant sun was setting and some of the brighter stars were beginning to show their brilliance as the street lights kicked on from below. If she opened the window, she would be able to near the hustle and bustle of the street with the noisy cars and people walking by, the vendors selling their wares to the people. She looked at the reflection of Naru and Lin in the window, keeping her back turned to them. Naru was fidgeting with his cup and Lin was watching her movements like a bird of prey watching its meal on the ground. Sakura finally decided to end the torture and face her two guests.

"Naru. You are allowed to date her if she allows it. I recommend taking her to see a movie and someplace homey for dinner, nothing fancy. She'll go for that."

"I will follow your recommendations. Thank you for granting me permission to date her."

"I might begrudge Fate, otherwise. You have a good night now, Naru, Lin-san."

"You as well, Sakura-san. Again, I thank you."

"You're welcome, Naru," Sakura said as she escorted them do the door and opened it for them.

They left and she promptly closed the door behind them before returning to her work. She quickly refocused her efforts and was rewarded by finishing the book she had been working on for the past seventy hours straight. She saved her work and decided to retire for the night so she would be refreshed for reviewing her work. She had just turned off her computer when there was another knock on the door. Puzzled, she went to the door and found Mai standing there. She let Mai in and they had a seat in the living room as concern washed over Sakura.

"Are you done with your book, Saku-chan?" Mai asked.

"Yes, at least, for tonight. Why are you here so late, Mai? You shouldn't be out here wandering alone."

"I couldn't sleep."

"Did you have another one of your dreams?"

"No. The gears have been turning in my head to the point of being overworked."

"What's bothering you, Mai?"

"It's about Naru…"

"Go on, Mai."

"He's been looking at me differently ever since the hospital and I'm not sure what to make of it. The looks he gives me makes my heart pound and my pulse seems to be going at a million beats per second. It seems like he has a fire in his eyes, a different kind of fire than his intense focus at work."

"I'm going to make a speculation. My speculation is that he loves you and you love him."

Mai immediately turned red and buried her face in her hands. Sakura laughed a little then pried the Mai's hands away from her face.

"Mai, you make it obvious that you like him. He'll ask you to go on a date with him soon and you should accept his request."

"How do you know? Did you have a dream about it?"

"No. He came to see me this evening and asked me for permission to date you which I gave him in turn."

"Saku-chan!"

"You should stay the night with me so we won't wake up your guardian. Sound fair?"

"Yes!"

"Alright. You get ready for bed while I prepare the guest bedroom for you and we'll both have some breakfast in the morning before we head to work."

"You're coming with me?"

"Yes, if you don't mind."

"I'd love it!"

Mai scampered off and got ready for bed while Sakura prepared the guest room for her. Mai entered the room and found Sakura there, reading a book, and the woman picked up her head when Mai entered.

"There you are," Sakura said as she stood up and put the book down. "Have a good night and I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Saku-chan."

The next morning, Mai awoke to the smell of fresh lemons and oranges and padded down to the kitchen. She found Sakura there, grilling some fish, and fresh orange juice in a pitcher. Mai set up the table while Sakura cooked and brought over the other prepared items, including fruit sushi. They quickly had breakfast and got ready to go to work, with them exiting Sakura's abode in the matter of an hour or so. They reached the office complex before the others and Mai let the two in and they began setting up the office and were finished by the time Naru and Lin showed up.

"Good morning, Naru!" Mai chirped.

Naru went up to Mai and took her hand, fully gaining her attention.

"Mai, would you go on a date with me?" Naru asked.

"Yes. I'd love to," Mai responded.

Naru smiled and let go of Mai's hand before he retreated into the office and closed the door just before Bou entered the office. He saw Mai blushing and asked what was going on.

"Just teen things, Bou-san. That's all," Sakura responded and pulled out her laptop at the tiny desk in the back by an outlet.

"Mai, did someone ask you out on a date?"

Mai nodded in response.

"Alright, who is the handsome guy? Don't tell me it's Yasu."

"No, it's not him."

"Then who?"

Mai shook her head and quickly buried herself in a stack of papers. Bou then tried to pry the information out of Sakura but to no avail. News quickly spread to the others as they came in and they each took a turn in bothering the Mai and Sakura all day but had no luck either. Sakura quietly went to Lin and whispered something to him and he looked at her before nodding. Mai had made arrangements to stay at Sakura's place again that night. When they got to Sakura's home that night, Mai was busily chattering away as she helped make dinner.

"Mai, you're nervous."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. How about you set up the table while I finish cooking. Beverages are in the fridge."

"Okay."

They had an animated dinner and went to bed early and by next morning, Mai was more anxious than ever.

"Mai, it'll be fine. Naru's a good guy."

"I know."

"Is it because this'll be your first date, Mai?"

Mai nodded. Sakura took her hand.

"I'll help you get ready. Let's go."

Sakura helped Mai pick out an outfit and did her hair and make-up and they were waiting in the living room when a knock came from the door. Mai went to the door and found Naru standing there with a bouquet of flowers and wearing his usual dark suit.

Naru had not expected Mai to open the door and was staring at her. She was wearing a white dress with purple butterflies on it and a teal bolero jacket gracing her shoulders. She had a flower clip in her hair and a slight blush had crept to her cheeks.

"Here. These are for you," Naru stammered and handed her the flowers.

"Thanks you," Mai replied warmly and graciously accepted the flowers and let Naru in.

He entered and noticed that Sakura had a vase in hand with some water in it and Mai unwrapped the bouquet before putting the flowers in the vase. The couple left after a few courtesies and Sakura opened the door after a few minutes to see Lin coming down the hall. She exited and secure her abode before she went to meet him.

"Ready to spy on Naru and Mai?"

Lin nodded in response and took her arm before they began tailing the first couple to the movie theater and took seats high above them to observe them without being detected. The movie went smoothly and then they tailed the young couple to a nice restaurant and sat some distance away from them but with a clear view of them.

"So, Lin-san. Do you think that they're having a good time?" Sakura asked in the middle of dinner.

"Yes. They make a good couple."

"Indeed. I just hope pride doesn't get in the way."

Lin looked at Sakura and saw that she was watching Mai and Naru. Her graceful features were delicate in the soft light, almost angelic in his eyes. He knew what she meant by that and hoped that it would not happen. Naru was happy with Mai just as she was with him. They left without eating dessert and went back to Sakura's condominium and she let him in. They had an idle chatter and they grew closer as time went on. Lin brushed Sakura's hair aside and was they were about to kiss when they heard a key in the door, breaking them from their idyllic moment. Mai and Naru came in and they were surprised to find Sakura and Lin sitting there on the couch.

"How was your date, Mai, Naru?"

"It was great!" Mai chirped and Naru beamed with pride.

The men left, leaving the women alone to chat and spend the rest of the night together. Neither Mai nor Naru questioned them and just went on reflecting the date for the rest of the night. Only time would tell if the two would remain together.


	18. The Funerary Bride pt 1

M2: Greetings, everyone! Fall is in the air and already the Christmas stuff is popping up in stores! Anyway, enjoy chapter 18!

FILE 13

THE FUNERARY BRIDE PT. 1

Everyone noticed a slight difference between Naru and Mai's interaction lately and they questioned it, except for Sakura and Lin. Masako was sulking at the turn of events and John was trying to soften the green envy radiating off of her. Bou was pestering Mai about the change when an elderly man walked in and took off his newsboy cap. Mai went over and greeted the man and sat him down when she found out that he was here about ghosts. Mai summoned Naru and they got down to work.

"So, you have a ghost problem, Mr…" Naru began.

"Nakasone," the man replied, gaining Sakura's attention from her far corner.

"What kind of ghost problem do you have, Mr. Nakasone?" Mai asked as she poured him tea.

"I work at a cemetery as a groundskeeper and I live there too. There's this ghost of a young woman that keeps wandering among the graves, looking for something and then vanishes when I appear. She has pleading look and a sad smile on her face as she vanishes. I have a seen a couple of ghosts that linger for a few days but she's been there since the day that I've started about forty years ago."

"Is it at Shinseina Ki (Sacred Tree) cemetery?" Sakura asked as she stepped forward into view.

"Sakura-dono!" Nakasone cried out and jumped up.

"Nakasone-san," Sakura greeted as she hugged him.

"It's so good to see you, my dear! Once every year seems so far away!"

"Fate has brought our paths together sooner than I anticipated."

"You two know each other, Sakura-san?" John asked.

"Yes. My father is buried there and so are the ashes of my team. He knows the full story because I saved his grandson from being part of the experiment."

"Yes," Nakasone agreed. "Will you all please help me get the woman to rest in peace? She deserves to move on."

"I'll cover the costs again," Sakura bargained.

Naru looked at her, then the old man and sighed. "I'll take the case."

"Thank you, Shibuya-san," Nakasone said as he bowed and left. Naru faced the group behind him and found keenly eyes upon him.

"You're curious about a ghost that's been hanging around a cemetery for at least forty years too, Naru?" Bou questioned.

"Yes. We leave in two days," Naru said and went into his office, closing the door behind him.

Two days later, early in the morning, Mai and Sakura met at the office and started talking while eating a small snack and waiting for Naru and Lin to come and open up.

"Saku-chan?"

"Yes, Mai?"

"What's the grandson's name? The boy you saved?"

"Hiro. He's nine years old and wants to be a scientist of some sort. He changes the field every time I see him."

"You must teach him something new every time you see him."

"Ha, ha! That's certainly true. He's a very curious boy."

"I would like to meet him."

"You just might. Hiro's on vacation from school and his parents are working, so, he just might be at the cemetery."

"He's not afraid?"

"No. Nakasone-san always tells the good stories to him so he doesn't get scared."

"That's good."

Naru and Lin shortly arrived after that, followed by the others, and they loaded up the van before they left in three separate vehicles for the short trip to the cemetery where they met Nakasone by the gate accompanied by a boy wearing a baseball cap. They got out and the boy ran up to Sakura and hugged her.

"Nee-sama!" the boy greeted cheerfully.

"Hiro! It's so good to see you again. What do you want to be this time?"

"I want to be a marine biologist!"

"Okay. I'll try to squeeze in a lesson while I'm here."

"Yay!"

Mai smiled warmly at Hiro's enthusiasm. His eyes were bright and he was jumping for joy, all the while asking Sakura boundless questions that she didn't have time to answer for he was on the next question.

Naru cleared his throat and Sakura took that as her cue that she needed to help.

"Sorry, Hiro, but I need to help get this van unloaded."

"Are you gonna help Grandpa with the ghost that's here?"

"Yes. I'll be following Shibuya-san's orders."

"Can I help?"

"You have to ask him, Hiro."

Hiro spun around to face Naru and flinched involuntarily. Naru had on his stern look while he surveyed the boy. Hiro straightened up and walked over to him and extended his hand.

"Hello, Shibuya-san. Can I help you with your job while you're here?"

Ayako and Bou snickered while Mai took on a more fretful mask. Naru studied the boy then gave a little smirk, shaking his hand.

"Alright, Hiro. You can help later after we set up," Naru said, shocking almost everyone there.

"Thank you, Shibuya-san," Hiro Nakasone said and scampered off into the cemetery.

"Naru?" Lin questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I just might make a para normal researcher out of him," Naru responded and walked away, leaving most of the group stunned.

Sakura went to the van and pulled out some equipment and Mai followed suite, both heading into the cemetery, following Nakasone to their makeshift base. They set up and began to do some preliminary research, waiting for night to come, for that was when the ghost was usually seen.


	19. The Funerary Bride pt 2

M2: Hi readers and loyal followers! I wanted to let you know that I plan on creating a Halloween special. If I can pull it off, (most likely will) I will release it on Halloween either during the day or at night. Anyway, enjoy part two!

FILE 13

THE FUNERARY BRIDE PT. 2

Sakura stood out in the crisp autumn air as night set in. This cemetery always had a peaceful, quieting feeling and that was why she chose it so long ago to bury her father. She chose it again to bury her team members' ashes but Will, Hantā and Heisei chose to remain with her as her shiki. She walked among the gravestones until she found the ones she was looking for. She had managed to bury them side-by-side so it was easier to visit the graves and light incense, which is exactly what she did.

As she was praying, she felt a sudden temperature drop. She stopped and looked around, spying a ghostly figure of a woman walking among the gravestones. The woman was wearing a white kimono, with the wrap being right over left, and was searching for something very carefully. Sakura hardly moved, hoping to watch the ghost for a bit longer, but the woman never swayed from her task. The sound of a snapping branch broke the silence and the ghost looked up and to her right before fading away. John came into view, looking rather sheepish.

"I only meant to watch her, not make her fade away."

"She's just shy, probably. Anyway, what brings you out here?"

"I came to check on you. You were taking quite a while, but, Mai didn't seemed worried."

"She knows I take a while and usually talk to the gravestones."

"Why?"

"I believe that gravestones are sort of like telephones. They help communicate to the spirit you want to reach."

"That's one way to look at it. Do you want me to go back and leave you here?"

"No, we should report what happened to Naru," Sakura said as she stood up.

They went back to their base and were talking to Naru when Hiro came in with Mai, carrying some snacks. He overhead what happened and grew excited.

"You really saw her, Nee-san?!" The boy asked excitedly.

"Yes, Hiro."

"Too bad I couldn't see her."

"She's very shy, Hiro-san. She would most likely vanish before your eyes," John said.

"Humph!" Hiro huffed out as he pouted and crossed his arms.

"Maybe the camera caught something. Want to see?" Sakura asked the boy. Hiro's eyes lit up and he looked at her.

"Yeah! Let's see, let's see, let's see!"

Sakura and Hiro went over to Lin and the monitors and they watched the recorded video until an image of the ghost appeared. Hiro watched in interest as she slowly flitted about her course, searching and searching but to no avail.

"She's really pretty, Nee-san, but not as pretty as you."

"Oh, Hiro, that's so sweet of you! She's prettier than I am though."

"Why?"

"If she's this pretty now, imagine how she pretty she would be if she were happy."

"Like you would be if you were completely happy, Nee-san?"

Lin looked between Hiro and Sakura, and saw Sakura give a wan smile. He then watched as she patted Hiro's head and ruffled his hair.

"You're pretty observant, Hiro. You'll make a good scientist someday. Now, it's time for growing boys to go to bed before their grandfathers come and get them."

"Awww, Nee-san! Can I stay up a little longer, please?"

"No, Hiro. Time to go to bed, little scientist. You can help us in the morning."

"Okay, Nee-san."

Hiro left the room and Sakura caught Lin gawking at her. She was more curious than anything and she decided to get to the bottom of it.

"Why are you staring, Lin-san? Was it something I said?"

"I wonder how beautiful you would be if you smiled from your heart, Sakura."

"Kōujo? What?"

Lin blushed immediately, realizing what he just said. "Never mind, forget what I just said," he quickly said and turned his attention back to the monitors.

Sakura looked at Lin quizzically then shrugged, going over to Mai instead and they left together to get temperatures. Naru sidled over to Lin and then watched the monitors, seeming to focus on them.

"Lin, maybe you should tell her," Naru said out of the blue.

"Tell who?"

"Sakura. Tell Sakura how you feel about her."

"Naru, it's not that simple."

"Is it?" Naru questioned and walked away, making some notes in his journal.

Lin faced the monitors once more and saw Mai and Sakura walking away from a camera to the next one to record temperatures for the area. He focused on Sakura and his mind drifted to thoughts about her. He dreamed of kissing those luscious rose pink lips and get lost in those light blue eyes. He wanted to make her yearn for his touch, but, more than anything, he wanted to make his partner in life. Lin jolted up at the last thought and quickly came back to reality. Sakura was famous and out of his league! There was no way she would ever like him!

Mai and Sakura were talking as they were walking over to the next site among the gravestones when the temperature dropped sharply around them. Mai started looking around when Sakura tapped her shoulder and pointed. Not far from them was the woman, intently searching so much so that she did not even notice the two ghost hunters a few feet away from her. The ghost suddenly looked at them, but did not fade away.

"What are you searching for?" Sakura said in a soothing voice that was soft as a cloud.

"My heart…Where is my heart?" the ghost responded.

"We'll help you find it. What's your name?"

"It's…"

The three of them heard fast footsteps approaching and the ghost began to fade away. The ghost gave a faint smile as she faded away.

"Wait!" Mai cried out. "At least tell us your name!"

The ghost faded into the night without giving further information and as Bou and John came running onto the scene. They were both panting and looking around.

"Already gone?" Bou asked.

"Yes," Mai said as she looked at Sakura.

"Time to report to Naru," Sakura replied, as if she read Mai's thoughts.

They all went back to the base and Mai told the group what happened this time. Naru made notes while the others looked puzzled. They were all thinking the same thing- where is her heart? Why is her heart not with her?

"I wonder why her heart isn't with her," Bou wondered out loud.

"That'll be one of the questions we have to answer," Sakura replied. "Depending on how old she really is, we may be looking for a tomb with a body in it if she was from a poor family. If she was wealthy, she was cremated."

"Why do you say that?" John asked.

"Cremation was usually reserved for the wealthy until the mid-twentieth century, after World War Two. Many of the people were simply buried before then. In fact, breaking with the Edo Period Code, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are to be cremated instead of a ritual burial."

"Interesting."

"Good thing you have an archeologist on your team, just in case. I should do some checking into the history of this area and reach out to some of my contacts here in Japan. I normally don't do digs here but some of the others that do may be knowledgeable about this area."

Naru said nothing but nodded and Sakura took that as her cue to leave the base and do what she had to do. When found her later, she was hovering over her laptop and typing away.

"Saku-chan, I brought you some tea and sandwiches."

"Thank you, Mai. Please leave it there and-"

"What is it Saku-chan?"

"I got in touch with a fellow archeologist that had a dig around here a few years ago and he just sent the reply to me. He found a palace but not the tomb that was supposed to go with it. He also invites me to take a look for myself and will have the paperwork sorted out for me in a couple of days should I choose to accept."

"Are you going to accept?"

Sakura looked over at Mai and gave a sly grin. "Of course."

"I can't wait to see you at work!"

"You just might have to hands on in the dig, Mai. Ready for that?"

"Yes!"

"Good. Please update Naru while I take care of some more work from here, okay?"

"Sure thing. Good luck, Saku-chan!"

"Don't forget to get some sleep. You just might have a dream about our elusive friend."

"Okay. See you in the morning."

"Good night, Mai."


	20. The Funerary Bride pt 3

M2: I hope you enjoyed part two and my little announcement. Don't worry, the special is guaranteed to go up! I already have it made! Until then, enjoy part 3!

FILE 13

THE FUNERARY BRIDE PT. 3

 _Mai woke up to see a palace standing before her. She felt the spiritual pull and went up the bounding steps and went inside the palace. Everyone was dressed in Heian Period clothing as Mai passed down the main hall, being ignored by the guards and servants. She then came to a room where a middle-aged woman was sitting at a table, writing. She looked up and smiled at Mai._

 _"Come in, child. I don't bite," the woman beckoned._

 _Mai came over and sat down next to her._

 _"You wonder why you are here," the woman said._

 _"Yes. Am I here because of the ghost that haunts the cemetery?"_

 _"Yes and no. You will see her and learn a few things about her but you will also learn a few things about yourself, Mai."_

 _"How do you-"_

 _"-know your name? We are in the spirit world and I summoned you here in Sakura's stead. She tends to not sleep when it comes to her work."_

 _"Oh."_

 _"I will teach you something new tonight after you do your investigation with young Mitsuki-san."_

 _"Thank you."_

 _"Come, this way," the woman commanded and showed Mai the door._

 _They both left the room and went out into the garden where the ghost from the cemetery was along with a young man. They were close together and seemed to be very fond of each other._

 _"You see, they love each other very much. However, Mitsuki-san is betrothed to the Emperor's son and they are set marry soon. On her wedding night, she killed herself by stabbing herself in her heart. The son claimed the heart before the burial and kept it for himself. I am unsure as to what he did with it or where he hid it, but I suspect it is in the royal family's tomb which is nearby."_

 _"Where's the tomb?"_

 _"You'll need Sakura-san's expertise to get to the tomb and explore it. Only she has the authority. Mitsuki-san is also buried in the tomb but her lover is buried nearby from it."_

 _They headed back to the room where the woman taught her how to write certain charms before she sent Mai off to awaken._

Mai woke up early, feeling refreshed despite the dream she had and immediately went to Sakura's room and found her still awake typing on the computer.

"Did you sleep at all last night, Saku-chan?"

"No, Mai. I've been in communications all night to get the paperwork and permission all together and we managed to pull it off last night, so, as of right now, I'm officially here as an Archeologist."

"That's great! How about some breakfast then you get some rest?"

"How about you tell me about your dream over breakfast. I know you were visited last night by one of my teachers."

"I was? The middle-aged woman in the blue kimono?"

"Yes. She specializes in charms and they are pretty effective. Ayako would be envious at such efficiency."

The two had breakfast and Mai told Sakura of her dream as Sakura listened intently while she ate. When Mai finished, Sakura spoke up.

"The palace site is not far from here, only a short drive. After I get some rest, we'll head up there."

"Okay, Saku-chan."

"The arranged marriage is bothering you, isn't it? It was actually pretty common back then. It is still practiced today in some areas, although, not as much. We'll make everything right again, we just have to follow certain protocol now instead of doing what we normally do. I have to preserve evidence as much as possible, while attempting to return the heart, which is contradictory to what I usually do. It's a fine line, Mai, a very fine line."

"I understand. I hope we can help her rest in peace after so long."

"First we have to find the tomb."

The two cleaned up the small kitchen and Sakura went to get some rest while Mai prepared tea for the base. Mai went in and reported her dream to Naru and while she did so, Mai noticed Lin watching her with a careful eye. After the conversation with Naru, Mai went over to Lin and asked why he was looking at her like that.

"You shouldn't learn things like that from that ghost."

"Why, Lin-san."

"You should not become a living soul reaper. It's not natural."

"We are all acting like soul reapers in a way, helping all of these ghosts. You shouldn't hold such a grudge like that like you also do about the Japanese people. I thought we went through this before. I've even tried to get Miyamoto-san not to hold a grudge against you."

"Mai… never mind."

Mai walked away as Lin returned his focus to the monitors, reviewing the night footage while the rest of the team recorded temperatures. Hiro came in after and listened to Mai tell him about her dream and Sakura came in shortly thereafter, causing Hiro to jump and run into her arms.

"Nee-san!"

"Good morning, Hiro. Ready to go a dig site?"

"You mean be an Archeologist?"

"Yes."

"Yippee! I'll grab my kit and my bag and tell Grandpa!"

Hiro rushed out the room, causing most of the group to chuckle at his reaction.

"You guys want to come along as well? As per Mai's dream, the dig site is actually the palace and we should investigate it."

"Are you sure it's okay to come along?" John asked.

"Yeah. I'll just show you the ropes of dig site protocol and the first thing you do is watch your feet. You don't want to step on any artifacts."

"We'll come along," Naru said coolly and made a note in his journal.

They soon packed up some equipment and they left the cemetery on the short drive to the dig site, led by Sakura in her vehicle with Mai and Hiro. They arrived at the site within fifteen minutes and a man wearing glasses greeted them, hugging Sakura.

"It's been a while, Dr. O'Neil."

"Indeed, Dr. Yamaguchi. How does the dig fair for you?"

"It's amazing, actually! So many treasures!"

"Treasure?" Bou asked.

"Are these you guests you told me about?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good, good! Anyway, not the kind of treasure you imagine, my boy! No, no, no! We sometimes call artifacts 'treasures' for their rich historical value and their near mint condition!"

"I take it you have found quite a lot since you started," Sakura said.

"Oh, yes! Come, Sakura-san and I'll show some of the diagrams we found and made. You just might be able to find the tomb before I do!"

"No offense, but, that's what I aim to do."

"It'll be good if you do for my hands are pretty full here, as you can tell."

Mai began wandering around, being careful of where she stepped. She made her way up the dilapidated stairs and into the main hall, where many of the diggers were working. On the way there, Sakura explained that they were students and learning to become archeologists themselves and were gaining experience on the field. Mai stopped at the door to the room where Mai met the woman who taught her about the charms and saw that it was closed. She wanted to enter but she was unsure if she was allowed to. One of the students noticed her and approached.

"This room belonged to a royal scribe and was also a priestess based on the items we found. Some of her work remained intact after all of this time, which is absolutely amazing! Want to see?"

"Yes."

The student opened the door and let Mai in and she smiled at the mounds of papers that were about the room, just like Sakura's room when she was working."

"What the smile about?" the student asked.

"It's just like Sakura-san's room when she's busy working. She would make a perfect scribe."

"Indeed, she would. This is a rare instance, though. Most royal scribes were male. We still face gender equality issues today although it's a lot more lax now than it was then."

"I see."

"We haven't touched the papers yet because they're so fragile. We don't want them to crumble into nothing."

Mai noticed that the table was covered with a cloth and asked why it was there.

"We found it that way."

"Can we remove it?"

"Sure. Let me document it first, then, we can lift the cloth off."

The student went for his camera and took some pictures and made measurements before they carefully lifted off the cover to reveal a map carved into the table. The map showed the palace but also where the tomb was. The student ran off to get Yamaguchi and Sakura while Mai studied it. It seemed so familiar but it was not ringing a bell yet.

Sakura came in first and started to study the map followed by Yamaguchi who almost bowled Mai over.

"The tomb," Sakura said breathlessly.

"The topography has changed, though. You'll have a hard time finding it."

"At least there's a direction now. It'll make it easier. Look, there's a scale at the bottom."

"All yours, Sakura-san."

"Thank you, Yamaguchi-san."

A little while later, Mai saw Sakura shouldering her pack and was consulting a rubbing of the map. She crept closer with Hiro as they wanted to see what she was doing. Sakura suddenly spun around to face them and smiled.

"I plan on walking to the tomb from here, Mai, Hiro. You two may want to head back to the cemetery by car and wait for me."

"I'm coming with you!" Mai huffed.

"So am I!" Hiro said, mimicking Mai. It actually looked quite cute and Sakura laughed.

"Okay, you two win but it's going to be a long walk. Bring some water with you and some snacks from the jeep."

"Okay, Saku-chan," Mai said and took Hiro with her to the jeep to grab the supplies and came rushing back. Mai then saw Naru and Lin talking with Sakura.

"So, Naru, mind if I take your assistant?" Sakura asked.

"No. Take her," Mai head Naru say and stalk off, closely follow by Lin who kept his usual stoic face.

"Saku-chan, is everything alright?"

"Yes, Mai. I just got permission to borrow you for a while. I think Naru's jealous of me since I popped up in your life and you're spending time with me instead of him."

"I-I see," Mai uttered as a blush appeared on her face. Hiro noticed this and went to Sakura and tugged on her sleeve.

"Nee-san? Why is Mai-nee blushing?"

"You'll find out in a few years, Hiro, trust me."

Hiro looked confused and frustrated at the same time for not getting an answer but they soon began their trek across the landscape using the map as a guide. As they went, Sakura noticed a slight depression in the earth that was in a line and began using tools to dig away at the earth.

"What are you doing, Nee-san?"

"I think we're walking along a stone path made by the people from that palace, Hiro. I just want to be sure."

"We can help!" Hiro exclaimed as he picked his shovel out of his bag.

Mai grabbed a shovel from her pack and by working together, they uncovered a stone pathway in a quick timespan. The stones were interlocking to make a solid piece and they followed the depression in the earth down a slope and into the trees.

"Let's follow this path. I'm sure it'll lead to the tomb," Sakura surmised.

"And then we find the ghost!" Hiro cheered.

"We have to be careful, though, Hiro. There may be traps," Mai said.

"She's right. There may be traps ahead of us, so we have to be cautious," Sakura warned.

"Okay."

They continued down the slope into the dense trees and the terrain became hazardous as they pushed their way through. Sakura was an expert guide through and helped Hiro and Mai navigate the rough terrain with ease and after a while, the terrain was taking on a familiar appearance.

"That's the tree I always climb, Nee-san!" Hiro exclaimed.

"I've noticed. We're very close to the cemetery and the tomb must be somewhere nearby based on the map…Wait a minute…I believe the tomb may be underneath the cemetery!"

"What?!" Hiro and Mai exclaimed.

"It would make sense if the tomb made from solid stone and it would keep it hidden from prying eyes. Absolute genius! I really need to get there to find out."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Hiro shouted and charged forward.

"Hiro-san, wait up!" Mai called and chased after him with Sakura following.

Sakura quickly took the lead again and led the trio to an outcropping of rocks just outside the cemetery and took a rest. Sakura studied the map as Mai leaned against a boulder alongside Hiro, who had a snack.

"It's funny that we're by the whispering rock, Mai Nee-san," Hiro said, peaking the interest of Mai and Sakura.

"Whispering rock?" Mai questioned.

"Yeah. When the wind is blowing, you can hear a whisper coming from that big rock," Hiro replied as he pointed to a massive rock face behind them.

Sakura got up and walked over to the rock face and began to examine the smooth surface. As she carefully ran her hand across the surface, Mai heard footsteps approaching and turned around to see the group running up to her.

"So the tomb is right here?" Bou asked.

"I believe it is behind this stone face, we just have to find a way in," Sakura answered while she continued her examination. "Ah-ha! There's a small seam right here and it's unnatural."

"This is going to take forever," Ayako whined and sat down on a small boulder and she immediately fell over as the boulder gave way.

Sakura was standing in the middle of the stone face, testing the weight of the rock, when a section of the stone opened inward and Sakura went tumbling inside. The door closed behind her, leaving her in inky darkness. Mai rushed to the door and began pounding on it.

"Saku-chan, Saku-chan!" She called but there was no response from the other side.

"Ayako broke the lever," John said and all eyes set on the priestess.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Ayako exclaimed.

While they were trying to figure out what to do, the stone door opened and Sakura stepped out, shutting off her flashlight with an audible click.

"And that is why I always carry a flashlight," Sakura announced, as if she was giving a lecture.

"Saku-chan!" Mai cried out and hugged her.

"Nee-san!" Hiro exclaimed and hugged her as well.

"Are you okay?" Lin asked.

"I'm fine. That's actually one of the easiest falls yet. I fell forty feet once before the rope took up the slack and stopped me from hitting the ground and crushing my legs. Luckily, I didn't break my spine, but, that abandoned temple was worth it."

"You didn't say anything about that, Saku-chan!"

"Sometimes, that's the risk. The reward, though, is amazing."

"Your line of work sounds dangerous," Ayako commented.

"To the body, really. The soul is put at risk when we ghost hunt, so, it's just one aspect over the other. Anyway, let's explore a tomb, now, shall we?"


	21. The Funerary Bride pt 4

M2: Hi there! I'm glad you all are enjoying my stories. My next post will be the Halloween Special. I think it's a cute little story and I hope you enjoy it as well when it comes out. Enjoy part four in the meantime!

FILE 13

THE FUNERARY BRIDE PT. 4

It was damp in the dark tunnel, the only thing that was guiding them was the flashlights that Mai and Sakura carried. Sakura was absorbed in her work but being cautious at the same time, taking care not to step on anything. Mai just watched her, never really seeing this side of her, when she suddenly felt a chill. Apparently the others felt it to, because they were looking around. Even Sakura stopped examining objects and looked up.

"He's down further," Sakura said monotonously.

"Who?" John asked.

"The Emperor's son. He must know why we are here."

"I'll just chant a warding spell," Bou offered.

"That may only make things worse. Mai, did you make those charms yet?"

"Yes, Saku-chan."

"Hand one to everyone, then. They may just be all that we need."

"Since when did you learn how to make charms?" Ayako asked.

"Recently," Mai responded.

"That dream taught you that much?"

"Yes."

Mai handed the charms out and then they continued down the tunnel until they reached a fork in the road. Sakura examined the carvings and photographed them before continuing to the right. They tunnel soon led to a massive chamber and in the center was a coffin with a seal on it. The paper seal was damaged and they could see a dark aura oozing down the sides.

"So that's what obsession does to the soul," Bou said and looked on in disgust.

John crossed himself and Masako covered her nose with her kimono sleeve. Sakura approached the coffin and removed the lid looking into the pool of darkness in the coffin. She reached in and pulled out a small box inlaid with ebony and opened it to find a human heart plated with gold. Mai gasped as Sakura crouched down and removed an object from her bag wrapped in a rich cloth and then removed the fabric to reveal a heart shaped effigy with something written on it. She placed the effigy in the box as she removed the gold heart and put everything back as it was. She then removed an envelope from her bag and pulled out a paper charm that looked quite old and placed it over the damaged one, causing the black aura to stop oozing from the coffin.

"Saku-chan?"

"The charm was actually in the priestess's study and I took it as she had instructed me to and placed it here. It was meant for the coffin all along."

"You are something else, that's for sure," Ayako commented.

"Let's get this heart back to where it belongs," Sakura said and went into a side chamber.

The others followed and found Sakura standing by the lone coffin in the chamber. She removed the lid and they saw bones wrapped in a kimono.

"They usually come back later and clean the bones before putting them in a jar but it didn't happen for some reason, but, that will be figured out as the dig goes on and we uncover information. There are also some jars here too for the organs, just like in Ancient Egypt. The only one that isn't sealed is the one for the heart."

Sakura removed the heart from her bag and barely managed to get it inside the jar before sealing it and placing a paper seal on the jar that she removed from the envelope she had earlier. The ghost of the young woman, Mitsuki, appeared before them.

"Thank you for finding my heart and returning it to me. Now I can move on."

"May you rest in peace," Masako said and the others nodded.

Mitsuki smiled and she faded away for one last time into a ball of light. The ball floated upwards and through the stone ceiling. Sakura closed the coffin and they left the tomb in silence. Mai was happy that the case was simple one and that it ended peacefully but something was bothering her.

"You're wondering about the Emperor's son, aren't you? The seal was designed to cleanse his soul so he can move on as well. Obsession leads to the poisoning of the soul and it bubbles up into that black ooze that resembles tar. Sometimes it's accompanied by a foul stench and those of us that are spiritually sensitive pick up on that scent and evil aura," Sakura explained.

"So he'll be okay now, Saku-chan?"

"Yes. He'll be just fine. Everyone in the tomb will be just fine."

They reported the findings to Nakasone and Hiro said he wanted to be ghost hunter, earning a smile from Naru. Sakura told the group that she had to stay and help with the dig now, but she'll catch up with them as soon as she could.

"Duty calls, but, if you need me, I'll be here for the time being."

Mai hugged Sakura and she hugged her back.

"Just take care of yourself, okay, Saku-chan?"

"You too, Mai. I'll call you tomorrow night so you can get some rest."

"Okay."

The group parted ways and the team, minus Sakura took the long drive back to the office and the others left Mai, Naru, and Lin to put the equipment away when they got there. Mai was thinking about Sakura when Naru came up to her.

"Thinking about Sakura-san?"

"Yes."

"She'll be fine, just as you will be."

"Yeah."

"Want to go on a date tonight, Mai?"

"Eh? I-I-"

"If you don't want to, that's okay."

"No, I'd love to. It was just so sudden, that's all!"

Naru chuckled, "You're cute."

Mai blushed but she clung to Naru's hand. Maybe she'll enjoy this night off after all.


	22. Halloween Special 2017

M2: As promised, here's the Halloween Special! Be safe out there my loyal specters! Bring home lots of candy if you trick-or-treat!

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!

Mai was humming a little tune to herself in the office as she placed a black cat statue with its back arched on the desk. She loved seeing the little kids on Halloween with their costumes on and giving them candy and other sweets when they came to her door.

As Mai hummed, Naru walked out and saw the cat on the desk, glared at it, and removed it while ignoring Mai's protest.

"I let you decorate for Christmas, not Halloween too."

"Naru! Please?!"

"No. Get me some tea," Naru finished and went back to his office, slamming the door.

Mai smirked and place another statue she had hidden on the desk and made some tea before giving it to Naru. She went back to work until the others arrived and they started talking.

"So, Mai, what do you plan on doing for Halloween?" Bou asked.

"I was just going to give out candy to the kids like I do every year."

"Have you been out trick-or-treating before?" John asked.

"Not since Mom died. Saku-chan's also been very busy to take me when I was younger."

"I know!" Ayako exclaimed. "Why don't we all go trick-or-treating together this year?"

"We'll even get Naru in on the mix," Yasu added, looking devilish as he said so.

The others concurred, although Masako was hesitant, and started to chatter about what they should dress up as despite Mai's weak protests when Sakura came through the door. Mai ran up to hug her and tell her what was going on.

"Group trick-or-treating, eh? Sounds like fun. Can I join in as a spectator?"

"Sure. You have to be a costume, though," Bou stated.

"Sounds interesting. Do you have anything to wear, Mai?"

"No…"

"I'll take care of it. We're sure to come up with something."

Naru and Lin heard the chatter and came out of their office and heard everything. They were about to retreat when Yasu spotted them.

"What are you two going to be?" Yasu asked, bring all the attention of the room to focus on them.

"We are not going," Naru argued flatly.

"Yes you are," Bou shot back as he jumped up and grabbed them by their arms. "Mai, close up the place. We're taking these two costume shopping."

"Eh?! But-"

"See you later!" Ayako called back as she headed out the door to help Bou with Lin and Naru.

"Well… that was an interesting sight to see," Sakura said after a minute. "Without the bosses, you certainly can't work. Everybody out and we'll meet back here at, say, seven?"

"Yes, ma'am," John said and escorted Masako out on his arm followed by Yasu.

"Shall we get going? It doesn't leave much time to get costumes together."

Mai closed the office up and locked the door, riding with Sakura back to her place. On the way there, Mai called her guardian and told her of the change of plans and was finished with the call by the condo. Once inside, Sakura got some food ready with some juice and they ate.

"So, Mai any ideas on your costume?" Sakura asked then took a sip of her juice.

"Maybe something historical, but, how are going to find a costume here?"

"I have some period costumes that could be altered in time to fit you in time for tonight. Now we just have to choose which one."

"Why do you have period costumes?"

"Sometimes I help give accurate representations of historical periods so others could learn the history of that time period. It's a little hobby of mine."

"Cool! Let's see what you got!"

"Okay. Remember though, you asked for it," Sakura said and led Mai down the hall to the third bedroom that she always kept locked. Sakura took a key from her pocket and inserted it into the lock before opening the door to reveal a whole room as a walk in closet.

"Wow," Mai said in awe.

"Go ahead and choose what you want from here. Aside from height, we're pretty much the same size.

Mai ended up choosing a bright blue Italian renaissance gown that was embroidered with mint green thread and a white petticoat.

"Italian Renaissance circa 1440's. That was made when I was a bit younger so it might fit you without alterations. I just couldn't bear to part with it, such craftsmanship."

"You mean I can try it on?"

"Go right ahead. I'll help you."

After a few minutes, they found out that the costume fit perfectly and Mai was ecstatic and could hardly sit still as Sakura added extensions in her hair and did a period appropriate style. Sakura then dressed herself in a sea-green hanfu with a fern print on it and then she did her hair in half up, half down style and added a floral headpiece. Mai admired Sakura's beauty and then they went back to the office and waited.

Masako came in first wearing a priestess costume and had a kabuki mask in hand followed by John wearing a brown Cossack tied with rope like a medieval monk. They stared at the two before Yasu pushed his way through in his safari costume and stared.

"Where did you get those costumes?!" Yasu exclaimed.

"I already had them. They're period costumes for reenactments," Sakura replied.

The three stepped aside as Lin and Naru were shoved through the doorway and stared at them too. Blushes were creeping up between Lin, Naru, Mai, and Sakura when Ayako and Bou came in and saw what the fuss was about.

"You have to give me the name of your designer, Sakura-san," Ayako muttered in her Egyptian costume.

"What she said," Bou said in his attire as a roman soldier. "What do you think of Lin and Naru?"

Lin was dressed as samurai,(most likely not of his choice) while Naru was dressed as a vampire (most definitely not his choice).

"They look nice," Sakura said as calmly as she could.

"Let's go trick-or-treating, then!" Bou said and shoved them all back out and Mai locked the door before he could pulled her away.

They started walking around and collected candy until they came across a lone girl that was crying. The girl was wearing a little witch costume and her broom was next to her. Mai went up to her and offered her a piece of candy.

"Here you go," Mai said sweetly.

The girl picked up her head and took the candy.

"What's your name? My name's Mai."

"I'm Rumi."

"What's wrong, Rumi?" Sakura asked.

"I was picked on by some boys and ran away. Now I'm lost!" Rumi answered and began crying again.

"We'll help you find your way home," Sakura said. "What street do you live on?"

"Um…Fuji Street."

"That's not far from here. Let's go, Rumi."

Rumi took Mai's hand and the group walked to Fuji Street and down the road and saw that Rumi was getting hopeful. They were passing all the houses with lights on but she was not pulling them towards any of those. She broke free form Mai's grasp and ran up the entryway of an abandoned house. They approached and then Rumi ran up to the porch were a woman was waiting. The two smiled at the group and vanished from sight right before their eyes!

"You mean we just helped ghosts?" Ayako asked, bewildered.

"Yes," Sakura said with a smile on her face, "we helped them go home."

Mai leaned into Naru and sighed as he wrapped an arm around her, blushing as he did so. Sakura noticed that the others were growing tired as well.

"Alright, time to go home and count our spoils and remember, Happy Halloween!"


End file.
